On May 15th, a significant milestone was reached in the lives of 350 individuals who fled religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Through the provisions of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), these individuals were granted Indian citizenship by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Among them, 14 were personally called forward to receive their documents, while the rest were granted citizenship digitally. The atmosphere was one of profound joy and gratitude as the recipients expressed their heartfelt appreciation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the transformative impact this development had on their lives.
Pakistan Refugees who received Indian Citizenship Certificates LINK
Refugees Expressed their Emotions
Bhavna, who is the daughter of a family that escaped Pakistan, voiced her happiness and said, “It is equal to getting a new life for us.”
Bhavna narrated their ordeal and said,
“We have to face a lot of difficulties there. It is hard for girls to go out of the house and they are unable to study. Muslims kidnap Hindu girls and force them to convert to Islam. Girls stay within their houses because they are terrified to step outside and have to wear a burqa if they ever want to head out. I have been here since I was very young. I don’t remember much except my home in Pakistan. The reason for this was that I never left my home. We still have many relatives there who want to come to India, but they are finding it difficult to get a visa. We are very happy to be in our country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has helped us a lot. We want to thank him and Amit Shah. I was elated when CAA was passed. I am studying further and want to become a teacher and educate others, especially females as well.”
Another Pakistan refugee, Yashodha, residing at Majnu ka Tila, said that they would now be considered Indian citizens and not called "Pakistanis."
"We came here in 2013. We faced a lot of difficulties related to water and electricity. Now we have citizenship. Not ours, but our children's future will be bright. We struggled a lot for citizenship. We are happy and thankful to PM Modi. Our children will also get educated like other children and they will have a better future. We were called Pakistanis. Now no one will call us that. We will be considered Indians now," Yashodha told ANI.
Harish Kumar, who became a citizen of India mentioned,
“I have been living in Delhi for the last 13-14 years. It feels like a dream coming true, I am very happy. It is like a new birth for me. I am very thankful to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s central government. Rights are very important as now we can get higher education and secure jobs.”
Amrita expressed her desire to be a doctor, as she also received citizenship through CAA.
"When we came in 2013, there were no schools or electricity. Now, we have both of them. I want to be a doctor when I grow up," Amrita said.
Another Pak refugee living at Majnu ka Tila called it a "huge favour" and thanked the central government for "accepting them".
"We applied for citizenship 3-4 years ago. It had been 8-9 years since we came when it was announced that we would get citizenship. We also named my granddaughter 'Nagrikta'. We were very happy. Both of my children are citizens now. I thank the people of the country for accepting us. It is a huge favour for us. We will not forget this in our lives. We will respect this citizenship like we respect our children, our elders and our God. We feel respected. We are grateful to whoever has done this and thought about us," Meera said.
"When we came here 10 years ago, we did not have citizenship. We are very happy to get citizenship. We used to face difficulties in the admission of our children (in school). Now our children will get proper education and our future will be bright,"
said another refugee from Pakistan who got citizenship through CAA.
Implementation of CAA Rules by Indian Govt
On March 11 this year, the Union Home Ministry notified the rules of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), just days before the Lok Sabha election schedule was announced. In a significant move on May 15, Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla personally handed over citizenship certificates to some applicants in New Delhi. Fourteen applicants received their certificates in a physical ceremony, while many others were issued digitally signed certificates via email.
The newly notified rules for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) outline the application form process, the District Level Committee (DLC) procedure for processing applications, and the scrutiny and grant of citizenship by the State Level Empowered Committee (EC). According to an official release, applications have been received from Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi, and Christian communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. These individuals, who arrived in India before December 31, 2014, sought refuge due to religious persecution or fear of such persecution.
The District Level Committees (DLCs), chaired by Senior Superintendents of Post, have successfully verified documents and administered the oath of allegiance to the applicants. Following this, the applications are processed according to the rules and forwarded to the State Level Empowered Committee, headed by the Director of Census Operations. Notably, the entire application process is conducted through an online portal, ensuring efficiency and transparency in granting citizenship to those fleeing religious persecution.
Official Statements by Ministry of Home Affairs
In a press release, the Ministry of Home Affairs said, “Home Secretary congratulated the applicants and highlighted salient features of the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024. Secretary Posts, Director (IB), Registrar General of India and senior officers were also present during the interactive session.”
“The Rules envisage manner of application form, procedure for processing applications by District Level Committee (DLC) and scrutiny and grant of citizenship by State Level Empowered Committee (EC). In pursuance of these rules, applications have been received from persons belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who have entered into India up to 31.12.2014 on account of persecution on grounds of religion or fear of such persecution,” MHA added.
The Ministry said that upon successful verification of documents, the designated officers administered oath of allegiance to the applicants.
“After processing as per rules, DLCs have forwarded the applications to the State Level Empowered Committee headed by Director (Census operation),” it said.
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