‘We were fearful, oppressed in Pak’

LUCKNOW:Kishan Lal, 40, arrived in Lucknow in 1989 with his parents from Panno Akeel area of Sukkur district in Pakistan. The family was forced to move to India after oppression from Pakistanis.He applied for Indian citizenship the next year but it was granted in 2018, 28 years later. He said , “I am thankful to the home minister and prime minister who understood our problem and granted us Indian citizenship. It was not easy to leave our house in Pakistan as we had our roots there. We left everything with a heavy heart.”

The family of Vidya Bai, also from Sukkur, was a wealthy one but incurred the wrath of fundamentalists. They started demanding extortion money, forcing the family to flee to Lucknow in 1990. Vidya Bai, who got a certificate of Indian citizenship from home minister Rajnath Singh, said, “It’s a dream come true for me. Now me and my family can purchase a house and do business with ease.”

Rekha Bai, hailing from Kotki in Sindh, said, “Now my family can look forward to a safe future. I came here under extreme pressure from Pakistan. Had we not come here we would have had to convert to Islam or would have been shot dead.”

Shraddhanand who came from Godki,said , “Sindhis always wanted to be in India. Today I have become an Indian. In Pakistan, things were never good for Hindus and other minorities. They were always oppressed and had no rights.”

Panjumal, who came with his family from Sukkur, Pakistan in 1992 said, “Hindus were kidnapped and forced to convert. Hindu girls were not safe. We found Lucknow a great city to live in.” Reshma Bai Lakhan who migrated from Sukkur in 1989 endorsed the sentiment, saying, “No doubt this is the biggest day of my life. It’s my rebirth. Had we not come here we would have been living in most unsafe conditions in Pakistan.”