During a debate in the Indian parliament, Amit Shah argued that the bill was necessitated by, what he argued, was a "20% decline" in the religious minority population of both Pakistan and Bangladesh, adding that the Indian Muslim community will not be affected by the bill.[64] According to BBC News, the Hindu population of Pakistan (formerly West Pakistan) did not change significantly between 1951 and 1998, while the Hindu population of Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan) declined from 1951 to 2011.[65]