Ravinder Singh Robin
Passing of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) by the Indian parliament has given hope of, widely persecuted, Hindu community of Pakistan to settle in India and avail Indian citizenship even as CAA has a cutoff limit of December 31, 2014.
In the past, the security and immigration officials at Attari (India) international border with Pakistan have witnessed the unusual number of Hindu families arriving in India with almost everything in their households.
They are not only carrying their belongings in luggage but also wrapped in bed-sheets, carry bags, gunny bags, etc. which has attracted the attention of security personnel.
Though the Pakistani Hindus are arriving in India on a valid visa, the security personnel here suspect their intentions of jumping their permission, overstaying here, and later applying for Indian citizenship.
Most of the Hindu families are arriving from the Sindh province of Pakistan that has a sizeable population of Hindus. Sindh province of Pakistan is also notoriously known for abduction, forced conversion, and marrying Hindu girls, including minor girls with Muslim boys.
Immigration officials here informed that as many as two hundred families of Hindus had arrived in India via Attari international border in last over two weeks. Most of these families are heading for their relatives settled in Rajasthan and Delhi.
“We feel suspicious seeing their luggage and how tight-lipped they are about divulging their plans to travel in India, but we can’t do anything for now since they are on valid visa until they overstay in India, but a few of them have indicated to make India their own country which made us believe that they could apply for Indian citizenship,” said a source in immigration department.
Though CAA has a cutoff limit of December 31, 2014, yet the passing of CAA has given hope to minority communities, especially Hindus and Sikhs living in Pakistan, Bangladesh or Afghanistan that they could get Indian citizenship.
Following recent abduction of Hindu girls Bharti and Mehak in Sindh province of Pakistan, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Hindu Member National Assembly (MNA) Kheal Das Kohistani had stated that these incidents could make many Hindus think of migrating to India. Still, he had ruled out their mass migration. However, he had reportedly said that CAA had given hope to many Hindus of Pakistan, and it was an allurement for them to migrate to India.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in the article are personal and does not relate to India Post News in any way possible.
