Countering perception that the population of Hindus in Bangladesh was declining, the government on Thursday quoted official records of that country to state that it has instead risen by two per cent in 2017, reports The Indian Express.

Responding to questions in Rajya Sabha, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also said the government has from time to time raised the issue of the plight of minorities in Pakistan, Bangladesh and other countries at the bilateral level and made efforts to take them to a logical conclusion.

She urged members to pass the Citizenship Act amendment Bill, pending in the Upper House, to help resolve issues pertaining to atrocities and attacks on minorities, including those in Pakistan. “About the demographic changes in Bangladesh, as per statistics of the Bangladesh Bureau, in 2011 there were 8.4 per cent Hindus in the country, which has risen to 10.7 per cent in 2017.

“A perception that Hindus are migrating from Bangladesh and that their population is falling, has been formed,” she told the House.