Over 900 Pakistani Hindus eligible for Indian citizenship: report
A Hindu woman weeps while seeing off a relative at the railway station. – Photo by INP
KARACHI: Officials in India’s western state of Rajhasthan say around 919 Pakistani Hindus there have become eligible to apply for Indian citizenship, according to a report published by the Deccan Chronicle on Friday.
The administration from Rajhasthan’s Jodhpur area says the Pakistanis have become eligible for Indian citizenship after spending seven years in the country. The people included in the list are those Pakistanis who had traveled to India prior to December 31, 2004 and refused return to their home country.
“As per our record, these 919 Pakistani Hindu nationals have completed seven years of their stay in India, the basic eligibility to apply for citizenship,” the newspaper quoted additional magistrate of Jodhpur, Rajendra Singh Rathore. “We have asked them to follow the procedure and if they fulfill all conditions, including fees, they will be granted citizenship.”
The news follows media reports earlier this month of hundreds of Pakistani Hindu nationals from Sindh allegedly migrating to India on concerns of religious persecution and security fears. A committee was formed by President Asif Ali Zardari to look into the reports of mass migration. However, the committee rejected the claims that members of the minority community were leaving Sindh.
Hindu Singh Sodha, president of the Seemant Lok Sangthan, an organisation for Hindus from Pakistan settled in India, told the BBCUrdu that the list issued by the Indian government was “too short”.
“According to our information, there are 7,000 Pakistani Hindus in Rajasthan, who came from Pakistan on valid travel papers and refused to return,” he said.
In March 2005, Indian authorities had granted citizenship to over 8,000 Pakistani Hindu nationals settled in Rajasthan and Gujarat states. According to reports, the Hindus included those who had came to India on valid travel papers from Pakistan, citing ill-treatment on religious grounds as the reason for their refusal to go back.
The people suggesting the christians,hindus,sikh should migrate to india or should demand a separate state,i believe that’s quite fair.Similarly indian muslim should be given the same right along with the kashmiris ,and about shias dnt forget its india and some other countries who are involve in these brutal attacks . . . I am a regular reader of the newspapers i havnt read any news about attacks on hindus as much we come across the brutalities of indian army on kashmiris.
Very well said!!!!!!!
A picture is worth thousand words. I pity those women and their folk. I request pakistani authorities and pakistani people to repatriate all hindus and sikhs to India. Shias and Christians have many countries that follow their faith and they may be encouraged to go there. Leave pakistan for Sunnis and let them live in peace if possible.
I really hope that the Christians in Pakistan are able to go to India and settle down there, and leave Pakistan for mullah to create a land for the “PURE.”
I am appalled to see that everyone views the women in the pictures as “hindu women”. This picture depicts the plight of ALL women in a male dominated, barbaric and inhuman society
YOU ARE 100% right.
Totally agree..I was surprised too on seeing these women and they are called Hindu Women..I believe people from all other religions ( those who does not belong to islam )in Pakistan had to disguise them selves as the followers of Islam ( by the way they dress and look), just to get them selves protected from the barbaric and intolerant majority society of Pakistan. Nothing else explains this. I have never seen Muslim women or Muslim Women in India trying to disguise them as non muslims by the way they dress and look. they feel so secured here. Being a Indian, I am proud of that fact that my country gives so much religious freedom.
No matter how much ever majority section of Pakistanis deny this fact, it is clearly evident from these photos that there is no religious freedom for minorities in Pakistan. There is no surprise why Hindus from Pakistan wanted to migrate from there. Its time for a serious thinking on Pakistan’s part if they ever wanted to sincerely address this.
This is another proof that Pakistan should not call itself an Islamic republic. If the non-muslims and minorities do not feel safe here, it does not represent Islam.
Iam a shia living in pakistan and my community is constantly victimized and my concerns have further grown ever since sheikh rashed has called Mullah Omar
That’s the terrible and horrible situation, I would like to say if it’s happened to call any of the country to open migration for the Pakistani People I’ll be the part of them. the situation is going worse to worse. Pakistan is Hell to the future.
All My Pakistani Hindus Familes .Request to wait till PPP goverement change .Insallah it will change and things go normal like before
Will any Muslim of India ever want to migrate to Pakistan….the answer is a big NO.
Exactly
It is like ” you are not safe @ home…..go to the neighbor’s house and stay there for ever!!”…..how can someone migrate to another country without any shelter / job? Even we think twice to leave our home and settle to another city in the same nation itself.
Show me a single muslim in India who want to migrate to Pakistan…………..shame shame to the country who have spread nothing but hatred…..a BIG slap to the govt. of Pakistan
I feel not only hindu & sikh, but also some good numbers of educated and matured muslims are also want to migrate to India………….but show a single muslim / other religion Indian who want to migrate to Pakistan at all………….shame and a BIG slap to the govt. of Pakistan….who can’t think beyond religion based politics.
I have confirm report that hindus are leaving Pakistan,NOT because of persecution or the so called forced conversion, but purely because the economy is sinking.These hindus are smart and they have a second-home right next door and the Indian economy is much better,so why not avail the chance.They know that if they start this RELIGOUS crap,the govt. on the other side will be more sympathetic and put them ahead of the rest. If they find vast fields of oil and gold mines in Pakistan,these same hindus will be flocking back in greater numbers. So if you want to leave Pakistan because of lack of jobs and business opportunity,please DO SO,but be honest about it.
I am an indian hindu living abroad. I love my country the most. I am extremely proud of my religion, but my country comes first.I feel religion is a very personal thing between me and my god. I will tell you a funny thing that came across in these few days. I happen to know a pakistani bright student living abroad, very good by nature, you guessed it.. very religious and an unusually proud muslim. I was surprised to see he being extremely proud of arab people and the fact that he does not hesitate to consider self a descendent of arabs!This I find very common in pakistanis i met so far. They are very large hearted though.
I don’t know how to look at this!!
Interestingly, I came across a few Iranian people. They also are really some of the best people I’ve met so far. they are religious too….No problem with that. the only difference between them and pakistanis is….when they speak aabout Iran, they are extremely proud of their Iranian heritage! they don’t like to be associated with Arabs, forget about calling Arab descendents. I don’t know the history of Islam very well, but this simple story tells me the difference between a proud pakistani and a proud iranian.
It is all fine,everything is working under TWO NATION THEORY
Girls from Pakistan married to Indians are waiting for Indian citizenship for more than fifteen years.Where is humanity and justice?
Citizenship of another country can not be taken for granted.
Let the unhappy hindu’s in pakistan leave the country and the unhappy muslim’s in India should be encourgaged to leave india as well. They should be allowed to trasfer their wealth as well. This may give everyone happy
Tom
Pakistani Hindus,Sikhs and Christian must demand for a separate state within Pakistan at the UN.
It is no surprising that the Indians do not know who is coming,going or overstaying in India. Here goes the National statics with shame,its time to fire then all.
Agree
A seperate state within Pakistan for Shias and another one for Hindus,Sikhs and Christians
Just looking at the picture above and thinking what must be going through minds of those two women if one in the train is actually going to India and not coming back. Apart from that they might not see each other, would not a thought cross through the lady in train that I am leaving them behind to die? What if financial resource for migration used by lady in train came from the lady who is on station? Won’t the lady on station be thinking, its good my loved once are able to leave the hell, if thats the thinking then what will be the mental condition of the lady on the station. She must be totally depressed with no interest in life.
There is stubble difference between economic migration and migration to protect your life.