PANAJI: For the Goans of Karachi, Pakistan, a 12,000-strong community in the metropolitan port city, a mention of India’s Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) evokes reactions of bewilderment.
The community, largely made up of Catholics originally from Goa who migrated there in search of work when Karachi was a cosmopolitan port city as part of the undivided British India prior to Independence, became citizens of Pakistan after partition, affecting their relationships with their home state and curtailing their ability to visit home.
The CAB proposes to fast-track Indian citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Buddhists, Jains and Christians from the Muslim-majority nations of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. It’s unclear what shape the proposed law will eventually take, yet a possible opportunity to reclaim Indian citizenship via the CAB does not enthuse the Goans of Karachi, who would instead prefer an easier visa regime as a means of easier access to their homeland.
“Though the number of Goans in Pakistan (mainly Karachi) has gone down considerably due to emigration to Canada, US, Australia and England, we have been a privileged lot, having assimilated very well here and enjoyed great respect among neighbours, friends and colleagues,” Menin Rodrigues, the president of the Karachi Goan Association, said. by email
The Karachi Goan Association was founded in 1887 as the Goa Portuguese Association, whose name was changed to the present version in 1936.
{{/usCountry}}The Karachi Goan Association was founded in 1887 as the Goa Portuguese Association, whose name was changed to the present version in 1936.
{{/usCountry}}Goans in Pakistan, mostly Catholic,embraced the nation after independence with many of them rising to prominent positions, especially in sports, including representing the national cricket and hockey teams in the early years before emigration took a toll on the community, reducing its numbers and scattering the population.
Rodrigues said that it was a “long shot” for Goans to consider reclaiming Indian citizenship unless they had a good reason to do so.
“I know for a fact that from among the younger lot, they would not be interested; however, some of the older/retired folks who have attachment with their families and/or inherited properties in Goa may want to consider - but I think it is a long shot!” Rodrigues said.
“However, what Goans from Pakistan (Karachi), and those who are settled abroad (with Pakistan origin) would be interested in, is to have the option to visit Goa from time to time, or even once a year, without any obligations or hassles. Most such Goans would have relatives in Goa,” he added.
Others are sceptical about whether the Goans in Karachi will indeed benefit from the CAB and given the sensitive nature of the bill, the backlash that minorities in Pakistan would face if they expressed their support for it.
“We would prefer if the governments only worked together for a better visa regime,” another member of the community, who declined to be named, said.
“I have aunts in Goa and would definitely like to visit them more often,” he added.
Radharao Gracias, an advocate in Goa, suggested that the CAB could benefit Pakistan-based Goans if it includes under its ambit people from the state who were stranded in Pakistan after independence
“The Citizenship Bill as proposed by the Cabinet, if properly worded, may bring some relief to thousands of Goans who had settled in British India but were stranded in Pakistan after Independence (and may have settled beyond Pakistan thereafter) but still own land in Goa. However, the Constitutional validity of the same may be debatable,” Gracias added.