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248 Pakistani refugees from Pune get Indian citizenship since 2016
At least 248 refugees, mostly Hindus, from Pakistan and Bangladesh were granted Indian citizenship by the Pune district authorities since 2016, said official on Tuesday
At least 248 refugees, mostly Hindus, from Pakistan and Bangladesh were granted Indian citizenship by the Pune district authorities since 2016, said official on Tuesday.
According to Pune district collectorate in 2016, 20 refugees who migrated from Pakistan were awarded citizenship, in 2017, 32 were given citizenship; 41 in 2018, 24 in 2019, 18 in 2020 , 80 in 2021 and 31 till July 2022 were awarded citizenship.
Only few migrants were awarded citizenship in 2020 due to the pandemic, said officials.
Pune District Collector, Rajesh Deshmukh said, “We have decided to speed up the process to grant citizenship. There will be an oath ceremony every Monday. In my tenure, I have cleared 129 applications and awarded them the citizenship.”
Apart from this, Pune district collectorate also granted Indian citizenship to two migrants from Bangladesh, one each in 2018 and 2020.
In 2022, till date, the Pune district administration has received 293 applications seeking Indian citizenship, out of which 248 were cleared and 26 are pending. Out of the pending cases, 10 are waiting for report from intelligence bureau and 16 cases have not submitted documents as per the central government.
Eight applications were rejected as authorities found dual application by the same name, said officials.
Prem Nath, a 65-year-old from Pakistan, who migrated to Pimple Gurav area of Pimpri-Chinchwad in 2005, received his citizenship in 2019. However, his two sons and two daughters are still waiting for it. “My children are finding it difficult to get jobs as many are not ready to hire Pakistani migrants. Many youths are waiting for their applications to clear. Considering their age and career, the government should take decision on priority.”
Out of around 500 Sindhi Hindu families who migrated to Pune in the past three decades, around 150 still are awaiting their citizenship, according to officials.
According to migrants, locals hesitate to give them houses on rent or admissions in school and also a job. Despite having relevant documents, they have to spend hours at the police station when called in for examination.
