Opinion 40 years ago November 19, 1985: Bill to amend Citizenship Act introduced, Pakistan’s Zia to visit India
This is the front page of The Indian Express published on November 19, 1985.
This is the front page of The Indian Express published on November 19, 1985. 
Zia to visit India
The Pakistan President, General Zia-ul-Haq, will visit India on December 16 at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, to continue their dialogue on the normalisation of relations. This was decided at a meeting between the two leaders, who are in Muscat to attend celebrations marking 15 years of rule by Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman. Zia will visit India “for a few hours on his way back home from an official visit to the Maldives”.
Bill to amend Citizenship Act
Despite stiff opposition from several opposition leaders, the government introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha to amend the Citizenship Act. The legislation, which seeks to give effect to the clauses of the Assam Accord relating to the foreigners issue, creates a new class of citizens in the country — those without the right to vote for 10 years. The amendment relates to those who came to Assam on or after January 1, 1966 but before March 25, 1971 and who have since the date of entry been ordinarily resident in Assam and have been detected to be foreigners.
PM’s absence questioned
The opposition in both Houses questioned the propriety of the Prime Minister going abroad for a visit when the winter session of Parliament had begun. Madhu Dandavate said in the Lok Sabha that it was strange that when the House was in session, the Prime Minister was out.
Gorbachev on arms limitation
The Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, said that arms limitation would be his country’s top priority at the two-day summit meeting with the US President Ronald Reagan, beginning in Geneva. The meeting will examine “primarily the question of what can be done to stop the unprecedented arms race which has unfolded in the world; to prevent it from spreading to other areas and to avert the threat of nuclear war,” Gorbachev said soon after his arrival at Geneva Airport.
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