India grants long-term visas to 145 Pakistanis in September

Most long-term visa applicants are Pakistani Hindus seeking Indian citizenship; about 500 have arrived in India in last six months, says SLS, demanding expedited visas and the resumption of Jodhpur-Karachi rail link

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) granted long-term visas to 145 Pakistanis in September, a senior government official said.

Such long-term visas are typically granted to citizens of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, who initially enter India on short-term visas, in a bid to acquire Indian citizenship. The majority of applicants for such visas are Pakistani Hindus, although the members of six non-Muslim communities — Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians — from the three neighbouring nations are all eligible for five-year long-term visas.

On another note, the official said that a list of 366 Pakistani prisoners and 86 fishermen lodged in Indian jails has been shared with Pakistan in July. Since January, nine Pakistani prisoners and five fishermen were repatriated to Pakistan.

Seeking citizenship

According to the Citizenship Act, 1955, one of the conditions to acquire citizenship by naturalisation is that the applicant should have lived in India for at least 11 years, including a continuous stay during the last 12 months before applying for citizenship.

According to Seemant Lok Sangathan, a group that advocates for the rights of Pakistani minority migrants in India, around 500 Pakistani Hindus have arrived in India on short-term visas in the past six months.

‘Resume Thar Express’

The organisation has demanded the resumption of services of the Thar Express, the rail link between Jodhpur and Karachi. The train was suspended by Pakistan in 2019 following the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution.

“The rail link should be restored as most Pakistani Hindus who arrive in Rajasthan live in Sindh province, across the border,” said SLS president Hindu Singh Sodha. “Since only the Attari-Wagah immigration post is operational along the Punjab border, people from Sindh have to travel all the way to Punjab. This involves money and time, and those who come here are from economically weaker sections.”

‘Expedite visas’

Mr. Sodha added that the MHA should expedite the pending long-term visa (LTV) applications as many of the applicants had arrived in India more than a year ago. “Without LTVs, they cannot get Aadhar cards, which leads to problems while getting admissions in educational institutions or even applying for private jobs,” he noted.

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019, which grants citizenship to undocumented members of the six minority groups from the three countries, is only applicable to those migrants who entered India before December 31, 2014. Those who entered India after the cut-off date are not eligible to avail CAA benefits, which reduce the period to qualify for citizenship from the existing 11 years to 5 years.

Published - October 30, 2024 02:14 am IST