Pakistani Hindu Migrants On The Waiting List For Indian Citizenship
Monday, April 18th, 2016 9:54:20 by modousarr
Hindu minorities from Pakistan are being considered for Indian citizenship in a proposal directed at simplifying the said process.
An Indian home ministry official was noted to have said that the proposal includes possibly granting “minority communities of Pakistan staying in India on a Long Term Visa” the ability to open bank accounts, acquire a permanent account number (PAN), buy land and other properties and get an Aadhaar number.
Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, member of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), earlier stated in the National Assembly that about 5,000 Hindus move from Pakistan to India yearly.
Last year, New Delhi permitted Bangladeshis and Pakistanis, pertaining to minor communities who had entered India legally before December 31, 2014, the chance to stay in the country, despite their possible lapse in documents.
The Pakistani refugees tend to mostly settle in Rajasthan due to the convenience of the short journey with Thar Express. However, of late, many are heading for the rural settlement of Bijwasan, on the outskirts of Delhi.
The proposal further empowers collectors or district magistrates of 18 districts to grant citizenship of a two year period to such people at a reduced fee.
The districts are Raipur (Chhattisgarh), Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Rajkot, Kutch and Patan (Gujarat), Bhopal and Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Nagpur, Mumbai, Pune and Thane (Maharashtra), West Delhi and South Delhi (National Capital Territory), Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Jaipur (Rajasthan) and Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh).
“These are only at proposal stage,” the Indian home ministry official said, he maintains the Indian government’s strides to seek public comments and suggestions on the measures intended.
The exact figure of minority refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan residing in India is unknown. Official estimates place the figure to be about 2 million, consisting of mostly Hindus and Sikhs.
Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=52690
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