Advertisement
Ahmedabad: India has embarked on a significant humanitarian mission, granting citizenship to eighteen Hindu refugees from Pakistan residing in Ahmedabad on Saturday (March 16) at a camp which was attended by Gujarat minister of state for Home Harsh Sanghavi.
With this, a total of 1167 Hindu refugees from Pakistan residing in Ahmedabad district have so far been granted Indian citizenship. The enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019 has been pivotal in accelerating the citizenship process through registration and naturalization for these displaced individuals.
Gazette notifications of 2016 and 2018 empower the district collectors of Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Kutch in the state to grant Indian citizenship to people of minority communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, said an official release.
Sanghavi conferred citizenship to the persecuted migrants and urged them to work together to realise the dream of a new India.
“It is expected that all of you will be determined to participate in the development journey of the country,” he said, while also affirming the commitment of the central and the state governments in bringing all of them to the mainstream of the society.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have made special efforts for the suffering minorities of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh to get Indian citizenship easily and quickly, he said.
CAA implemented
On March 11, the Centre notified the rules of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, paving the way to grant citizenship to undocumented migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. With this, the Modi government will now start granting Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants — Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians — from the three countries.
As India moves forward with this historic initiative, the world is keeping a close eye. The outcome of this policy will not only shape the lives of thousands of asylum seekers, but will also test the resilience of India’s pluralistic values and its position on the global stage. Amid the debate and criticism, the essence of the CAA 2019, which aims to provide a lifeline to persecuted minorities, remains a testament to India’s evolving approach to humanitarian assistance and refugee integration.
