About 450 Pakistani Hindus and Sikhs stranded
across the border are awaiting clearances to return to India and apply for
citizenship under the newly amended Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Before the
imposition of Covid-related lockdown, the immigrants had gone to meet their
relatives or renew identity cards, passports on a ‘No Obligation to Return to
India’ visa, valid for 60 days, said officials.
In May, New
Delhi and Islamabad had introduced a special service for people stuck on both
sides of the border due to the pandemic. More than 190 Pakistani nationals,
including Hindus, will travel across the Attari-Wagah border under
the service.These stranded Pakistani nationals travelled by road from Gujarat,
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi, according to
officials in the Ministry of External Affairs.
While Indian citizens were
allowed to come back, those on longterm visas were denied permission.
Last December, the Centre passed CAA to provide citizenship to six persecuted
minorities - Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian - from Pakistan,
Bangladesh and Afghanistan. People from these communities, who had come to
India till December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution in these countries,
will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship, as per
the Act.
However, the Centre is yet to notify the CAA rules. The legislation
had led to protests in different parts of the country. Since these refugees
still hold passports or other identity documents issued by the Pakistan government,
their re-entry into India is going to be a complex process, said officials.
“As
many as 28 members of my family came to Peshawar in Pakistan on a NORI visa in
February this year,” said Jugjeet Singh who lived in New Delhi’s Tilak Nagar.
“We have been asking the embassy authorities for our return to India but we
have not received any communication,”
19-year-old Vikram Thakur told ET over
phone from Pakistan. His family wants to apply for Indian citizenship on their
return. Officials said visas of all those stranded due to lockdown have been
extended while movement of foreign nationals are being facilitated in
coordination with the embassies.
“For Pak nationals, we have facilitated their
movement by road. All returning Pak nationals will be screened as per the
international norms and health protocols,” said another official.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/about-450-pakistani-hindus-sikhs-await-nod-to-return-to-india-apply-for-citizenship/articleshow/77902768.cms
Dr. Gurdeep Kaur
Associate Professor
Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College
University of Delhi
