India’s citizenship choices reflect broader strategic objectives beyond mere humanitarianism. The recent decision to selectively grant citizenship to Afghan Sikhs while excluding Muslim refugees reflects a calculated maneuver. This move hints at the country’s communal dynamics and strategic interests toward Afghanistan. Although presented as a humanitarian gesture, this policy can be seen as a strategic move. It may drive sectarian divisions, impact Afghan unity, and advance India’s geopolitical goals. The exclusion of Afghan Muslims from this process suggests India’s deep-seated bias. It raises serious questions about India’s commitment to equitable humanitarian principles, particularly in its relations with Afghanistan under the Islamic Emirate.
The recent announcement by India to grant citizenship to a group of Afghan Sikhs amidst an ongoing review of 400 applications from non-Muslim minorities appears to reflect New Delhi’s discriminatory policies.
India’s Citizenship Policy: Rhetoric vs. Bias
On the surface, India presents itself as a proponent of human rights and inclusivity. However, its selective citizenship policies might suggest a discrepancy between its rhetoric and practice. India’s policy, which specifically focuses on Afghan Sikhs while overlooking Afghan Muslim refugees, could perpetuate religious discrimination. It may use humanitarian concern as a guise for strategic manipulation. This policy seems to align with broader anti-Muslim narratives. Some argue that these narratives define India’s internal and external strategies, particularly under the current government. The aim appears to be to bolster domestic support while pursuing regional dominance.
The situation in Afghanistan has been deteriorating since the Taliban’s resurgence. This deterioration has led to an exodus of refugees fleeing persecution and instability. Among these refugees are Afghan Sikhs, who, like many others, have sought safety and stability. India’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), passed in 2019, laid the groundwork for selectively offering citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from neighboring countries, including Afghanistan. The CAA explicitly excludes Muslim refugees. By doing so, it institutionalizes religious discrimination.
Against this backdrop, India’s recent decision to grant citizenship to Afghan Sikhs while ignoring the plight of Afghan Muslims reveals a continuation of this communal policy. This selective approach marginalizes Muslim refugees. It also serves as a tool for India to gain influence in Afghanistan. India positions itself as a benefactor to vulnerable minorities while ignoring the larger, more significant humanitarian crisis affecting Muslims in the region.
Strategic Manipulation
India’s decision to exclude Afghan Muslims from its citizenship process sends a clear message. It shows that India prioritizes religious identity over humanitarian need. By granting citizenship exclusively to non-Muslim minorities, New Delhi blatantly disregards the majority Muslim population of Afghanistan. This population has suffered the brunt of instability and violence. This exclusion is a reflection of India’s broader strategy to leverage religious divisions for geopolitical gains.
By selectively offering citizenship to Afghan Sikhs, India seeks to create a narrative of goodwill while simultaneously alienating the larger Muslim community. Such actions are not isolated; they are part of a consistent pattern in India’s policies that promote communal favoritism both domestically and internationally.
Moreover, the hypocrisy is stark. India champions the cause of Afghan Sikhs while simultaneously marginalizing its own Muslim population. It also turns a blind eye to Muslim refugees who face similar, if not greater, threats in Afghanistan.
In addition, India’s selective citizenship policy is not an act of compassion. It is a strategic move potentially aimed at influencing Afghanistan’s internal affairs. By selectively offering citizenship to non-Muslim minorities, India attempts to engineer a sectarian divide that serves its interests. This strategy aims to create a loyal constituency within the Afghan diaspora. India can then leverage this constituency to enhance its influence in Afghanistan, especially to counter Pakistan’s strategic depth in the region. India’s actions affront Afghan sovereignty. They seek to manipulate the ethnic and religious dynamics within Afghanistan for India’s own geopolitical advantage. Such interference further destabilizes the region by exacerbating existing divisions and creating new rifts within Afghan society. Hence, India’s actions pursue power and influence in the region, aiming to counterbalance Pakistan’s role rather than being motivated by humanitarian concern.
Strategic Interests vs. Humanitarianism
The impact of India’s discriminatory citizenship policy extends beyond Afghanistan and poses serious challenges for regional stability.
While India positions itself as a protector of Afghan Sikhs, it contrasts with its stance towards Sikh communities in countries like Canada, where concerns about its treatment of Sikh activists have emerged. This double standard reveals that India’s so-called humanitarian efforts are driven by strategic interests rather than genuine concern.
For Afghanistan, an Islamic state, India’s selective exclusion of Muslim refugees could contradict its stated friendship and potentially undermine diplomatic relations. The Islamic Emirate might view such actions unfavorably, seeing them as inconsistent with principles of balanced diplomacy and respect for sovereignty. This approach could increase anti-India sentiment both within Afghanistan and across the broader Islamic world, potentially further isolating New Delhi in a region where its actions already face scrutiny.
India’s selective citizenship policy raises questions about the coherence of its broader policies. While India presents itself as a defender of minority rights by granting citizenship to Afghan Sikhs, it contrasts with the challenges that divisive policies impose on its own Muslim population. The exclusion of Afghan Muslims from India’s refugee policy, alongside reports of discrimination against Muslims domestically, suggests a potential inconsistency in India’s commitment to humanitarian values. These actions could undermine India’s credibility as a responsible regional actor, as they reflect a strategic use of minority communities within a broader geopolitical framework that prioritizes exclusionary objectives.
Geopolitical Strategy vs. Humanitarian Integrity
India’s decision to grant citizenship to Afghan Sikhs appears driven more by strategic and geopolitical considerations than by purely humanitarian concerns. The exclusion of Afghan Muslims from this policy raises concerns about potential religious discrimination and challenges India’s claims of friendship with Afghanistan. This approach could reflect New Delhi’s broader strategy to influence regional dynamics, potentially at the expense of stability in Afghanistan. The selective focus on minority rights, while religious divisions persist both domestically and regionally, may reflect an underlying inconsistency in India’s policies. We should critically assess these actions, as they might prioritize national strategic interests over regional peace and stability.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own. They do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of the South Asia Times.
Haris Bilal Malik is an Islamabad-based independent researcher and policy analyst specializing in contemporary South Asian issues. Formerly a researcher at the Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies (CASS) in Islamabad, he holds an M.Phil in International Relations from the National Defence University (NDU), Islamabad. His expertise lies in regional and international security, particularly nuclear security. He has also worked with the Strategic Vision Institute (SVI), Muslim Youth University (MYU), and the South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI).
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