Nearly 800 Pakistani Hindus Returned Home After Failing To Secure Indian Citizenship: Report

Almost 800 Pakistani Hindus in Rajasthan, who reached India seeking citizenship based on religious persecution, were returned to the neighbouring country in 2021 after failing to receive citizenship. The Seemant Lok Sangathan (SLS), a group that fights for the rights of Pakistani minority migrants in the country, were quoted as saying by The Hindu.

"Many of them returned to Pakistan after they found that there had been no progress in their citizenship application," it said.

According to the report, SLS President Hindu Singh Sodha stated that Pakistani agencies utilise them to defame India once they return. They are even paraded in front of the media and made to claim that they were ill-treated.

India's Online Citizenship Application Process!

Back in 2018, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had officially initiated an online citizenship application process. Furthermore, it made 16 Collectors in seven States accept online applications to give citizenship to Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Jain from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

This process mentioned above is entirely online, but the portal does not accept expired Pakistani passports, forcing people seeking refuge to rush to the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi to get their passports renewed for a hefty sum.

Over 7,000 Applications For Indian Citizenship

The Union minister of state for home affairs (MoS home) Nityanand Rai had informed Parliament in December 2021 that 7,306 Pakistani nationals had applied for Indian citizenship until December 14, 2021.

Furthermore, the MoS had stated that applications for Indian citizenship are still pending from other nations, including Sri Lanka, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and the United States. He also said that as many as 1,152 applications are still pending from Afghanistan, 428 from Stateless, 189 and 161 from Nepal and Bangladesh and 223 from the US and Sri Lanka, respectively. As many as ten applications are pending from China as well; the minister told the Parliament.

Subramanian Swamy Slams Union Govt

Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy, on May 9, attacked the Union Government while citing about the 800 Pakistani Hindus, who had escaped to India and were hoping to get Indian citizenship, have been 'betrayed' by the Central government. Taking to Twitter, Swamy stated that the Hindus have gone back to Pakistan 'heartbroken' amid the inaction of the government on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

What a shame for our BJP Union Government that Hindu victims of human rights violation by Pak Govt, about 800 of those who had escaped to India, hoping to become Indian citizens have been betrayed by non action of Modi Govt on CAA, and so have gone back heartbroken to Pakistan.

— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) May 9, 2022

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