Pak immigrants cheer citizenship bill 2019
RELIEF Say new law reduces formalities, allows children to become Indian citizens faster
JAIPUR/ JODHPUR: For more than 17,000 immigrants from Pakistan living in Rajasthan, the Citizen Amendment Bill (CAB) means freedom from long wait for Indian citizenship. They say now their children will be able to become Indian citizens faster.
“We thank the government for incorporating our demand and amending Schedule three of Citizenship Act, 1955, through the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019, (which was not exercised in draft Citizenship Bill of 2016 tabled in Lok Sabha in 2018). This allows third generation minority immigrants from Pakistan to acquire citizenship under Section 6 (naturalization) after five years of stay in India instead 11 years,” said Hindu Singh Sodha, presi dent of Seemant Lok Sangthan, an organisational working for citizenship to Hindu immigrants from Pakistan.
According to information given by the state home department in reply to an Assembly question in last session, 17,652 immigrants are registered at Foreigners Registration Office (FRO) across 18 districts of Rajasthan; 6,127 of them are eligible to become Indian citizens.
In Jodhpur, 4,940 people are eligible to get Indian citizenship. In Jaipur, the number is 228. Cheidam Sharma, chief coordinator of Nimittekam, an organization facilitating stay of Hindu immigrants in the city, said in the current law, children cannot get Indian citizenship unless their parents have got it.
“For example, I came to India with my wife and two children in 2013. I will become eligible for citizenship in June 2020. My wife and children can apply for it only after I have become an Indian citizen. The new law does away with this – all of us can apply at the same time if the new law comes into effect,” he said.
The Rajasthan High Court is hearing a PIL (public interest litigation) on Pakistani immigrants. During the October 14 hearing, the state government told the court that in Jodhpur
This (Citizenship Ammendment Bill) allows third generation minority immigrants from Pakistan to acquire citizenship under Section 6 (naturalisation) after five years of stay in India instead of 11 years.
HINDU SINGH SODHA, president, Seemant Lok Sangthan district, 3,090 people applied for Indian citizenship; 1,130 of them have been given citizenship. Of the remaining applications, 434 were rejected for not being filed under the correct section of the Citizenship Act; Intelligence Bureau said no for 441; and the district administration rejected 300. In 2016, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) gave powers to district magistrates and state home secretaries to grant citizenship to Hindu minorities who have immigrated to India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. In Rajasthan, collectors of Jaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer got this power. Jaipur was the first district to issue three certificates to immigrants in June 2017. The power for two years was extended for an indefinite period in 2018.
Earlier, the central government decided on September 7, 2015 to allow minority refugees from Bangladesh and Pakistan to stay in this country even after expiry of their visas on humanitarian grounds. The government decided to exempt Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals belonging to minority communities who have entered India on or before December 31, 2014, in respect of their entry and stay in India without proper documents or after the expiry of relevant documents. The decision was taken under Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and Foreigners Act, 1946.
In districts where the collectors don’t have the power, the state home department recently directed collectors to organize special camps for online applicat i on f rom minorities f rom Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh living in India, for Indian citizenship.
Collectors of Pali, Jalore, Sirohi, Sriganganagar, Bikaner, Kota, Udaipur and Barmer were told to hold camps between
December 2 and December 13 on different days in different districts to facilitate citizenship applications from Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from the three countries, the order said.
“In the camps, the district administration officials and Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) will receive online applications from eligible applicants under the sections of Citizenship Act, 1955, and will also solve their problems,” the order said.
The camp was held in Pali on December 2, in Jalore on December 4, in Sri Ganganagar on December 5, in Bikaner on December 6, and in Kota on December 9. The camps will be held in Udaipur on December 10 and in Barmer on December 13.
In Bikaner, during the camp on December 6, 98 people applied for citizenship, said additional district collector (City) Sunita Chaidhar. She said all applications were incomplete.
In Kota, 25 people are registered with the FRO. Thirteen of them have applied for citizenship and their applications are pending. In the camp held on Monday, one application came and was disposed. The remaining 11 immigrants have made offline applications in the past.