Malaysia PM Anwar Ibrahim urges India to address minority issues, hopes for stronger bilateral ties
New Delhi: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, during his state visit to India, expressed his concerns regarding the challenges faced by minorities in the country, urging India to address these issues effectively. Speaking at an event hosted by the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) in Delhi on Tuesday, Ibrahim acknowledged that India is grappling with "some serious issues" concerning minorities and religious sentiments. He expressed hope that India would continue to play its "rightful" role in addressing these matters.
Ibrahim's remarks come amid improving India-Malaysia relations, which had previously been strained following criticism from former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed over India's internal policies, including the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act.
During his address, Ibrahim also touched upon the contentious issue of Zakir Naik, a fugitive Islamic preacher currently residing in Malaysia. While noting that the issue was not raised during his discussions with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ibrahim indicated that Malaysia might consider India's request for Naik's extradition if credible evidence is provided. He emphasized that this issue should not hinder the further enhancement of bilateral ties between the two nations.
Praising India's rich historical and democratic values, Ibrahim highlighted the contributions of Indian leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and others who have been instrumental in shaping the country's identity as a beacon of hope and democracy in the region.
Ibrahim's three-day visit to India marks his first since taking office in 2022. During a joint press conference on Tuesday, PM Modi announced that the India-Malaysia partnership had been elevated to a 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,' with a focus on expanding economic cooperation in areas such as semiconductors, financial technology, defense, and artificial intelligence.
In a significant move, India also agreed to make a one-time export of 200,000 metric tons of non-basmati rice to Malaysia, despite a ban on such shipments, reflecting the deepening ties between the two countries.
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SC to hear on May 4 PIL seeking stringent guidelines for issuing Aadhaar to adolescents, adults
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea seeking a direction to the Unique Identification Authority of India to issue new Aadhaar cards only to citizens up to the age of six years, and frame stringent guidelines for its issuance to adolescents and adults to stop infiltrators from masquerading as Indian citizens.
As per the apex court's causelist of May 4, the plea would come up for hearing before a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.
The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay has also sought a direction to the authorities to install display boards at common service centres stating that the 12-digit unique identification number is only a "proof of identity" and not a proof of citizenship, address or date of birth.
Besides all the states and Union Territories, the plea has made the UIDAI -- which is the authority that issues Aadhaar -- and the Union ministries of home, law and justice, and electronics and information technology as parties.
The plea, filed through advocate Ashwani Dubey, said Aadhaar, originally intended as a proof of identity, has increasingly become a "foundational document" enabling individuals to obtain other identification documents, such as ration cards, domicile certificates and voter identity cards.
"The UIDAI has issued 144 crore Aadhaar and 99 percent Indians have been enrolled. Therefore, the petitioner is filing this writ petition as a PIL under Article 32, seeking a direction to UIDAI to issue new Aadhaar to children only and frame new stringent guidelines for adolescents and adults, so as to stop infiltrators from getting it and masquerading as Indian citizens," the plea said.
It said the need to file the plea arose when the petitioner came to know the manner in which infiltrators are able to procure Aadhaar through a verification process that is weak and can be easily manipulated.
"Foreigners apply for Aadhaar under the 'foreign' category. But infiltrators apply for Aadhaar under the 'Indian citizen' category and get it easily made. Thereafter, they obtain a ration card, birth and domicile certificate, driving licence, et cetera, essentially becoming indistinguishable from Indian citizens…," it said.
Besides seeking other directions, the plea has raised legal questions, including whether the Aadhaar Act 2016 has become "temporally unreasonable" for failing to keep up with the legislative intent of distinguishing foreigners from Indian citizens.
It said the alleged misuse of Aadhaar undermines targeted welfare delivery and leads to diversion of public resources.
