Excited about the government’s announcement to enforce the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA), nearly 2,000 Pakistani Hindus residing in Nagpur are making preparations to apply for Indian citizenship.
Migrants from the neighboring country are navigating the nitty-gritty of filing online applications, which would allow them to reside in India without the hassle of seeking visa extensions and additional paperwork. Additionally, some of their family members who arrived in the country in recent years are seeking an extension of the cutoff date to accommodate them. On Monday, the Centre implemented the CAA, issuing regulations four years after it was passed by Parliament. The law aims to expedite citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who entered India before December 31, 2014.
As per the media reports, Vinod Raheja, originating from Ghotki town in Pakistan’s Sindh province, recounted his family’s entry into India through the Wagah-Attari border on December 31, 2014, on visit visas. Expressing surprise at the “life-changing event” of the CAA, he has already submitted his application for Indian citizenship online.
Residing in Nagpur’s Jaripatka area, where many Sindhis live, Raheja formerly worked as a cloth merchant in Pakistan. He expressed joy at the prospect of Indian citizenship, thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for the CAA’s implementation.
As a private company employee, Raheja appealed to PM Modi to relax the cut-off date for migrants like his mother-in-law’s family, who arrived six months after him, to ease their paperwork burden.
Sagar Wadhva, who moved from Quetta in Pakistan’s Balochistan province to India in 2012, eagerly anticipates making India his permanent home. His citizenship application has also been submitted online.
Local social worker Rajesh Jhambia, advocating for migrant rights, reported receiving 100 applications for online submission. He anticipates filing approximately 2,000 citizenship applications from Nagpur. Jhambia, like Raheja, appealed to PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to consider cases of migrants arriving after 2014.