E-Paper
Pakistani Hindu families seek Indian citizenship
Six years after they migrated from Pakistan’s Punjab to Kahnor village in the district, 150 Hindu families are waiting for Indian citizenship.
Six years after they migrated from Pakistan’s Punjab to Kahnor village in the district, 150 Hindu families are waiting for Indian citizenship.
They migrated to India after being pressured and tortured to convert to Islam in Lyyia district in 2005. Initially, Hindu families settled at Kahnor village, but after a few years most of them shifted to others areas of the state, including Fatehabad and Ratia. Three such families living at Kahnor have not been granted Indian citizenship, though they possess ration cards, electricity connections and are registered voters.
Vajeer Chand, head of a family, claimed that they constantly received threats to convert to Islam in Pakistan. While some families converted to Islam, others came to India, he added.
Chand said on the persuasion of his relatives in Rohtak, he and his kin came to India, but their visa will expire in February 2012.
He claimed that his two sons and a daughter, who were born in India, are eligible for Indian citizenship.
Chand got married his another son and daughter in the state.
Chand added that he had submitted Rs 7,000 to the district administration as fee to get citizenship for all 14 persons on December 16 after they requested the deputy commissioner to grant citizenship in September.
Another 100 Pakistani Hindu families are living in Fatehabad and Rohtak. Maintaining that he was unaware of the citizenship demand of the migrants, deputy commissioner Vikas Gupta assured to look the matter after going through records.
