2 Gujrat districts to grant citizenship to Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghan minorities
South Asia
India has decided to grant citizenship certificates to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians coming from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan and currently living in two districts of Gujarat.
The Indian home ministry issued a notification allowing Mehsana and Anand districts in Gujarat to grant citizenships under the Citizenship Act, 1955 and not the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA), reports The Indian Express.
The CAA also provides for granting Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians coming from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, but as the rules under the Act have not been framed yet, no one so far has been granted citizenship under it.
The Ministry of Home Affairs also asked the authorities to follow all the conditions, including the application for registration as citizen of India.
In August, Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi handed over Indian citizenship certificates to 40 Pakistani Hindus at the Ahmedabad collectorate. Since 2017, 1,032 Pakistanis have been given citizenship by the district.
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