1,706 Pakistanis, Afghans issued citizenship certificates: Govt

New Delhi, March 4

The Union Government issued citizenship certificates to 1,706 Hindu/Sikh Pakistan and Afghanistan nationals from 2011 to February this year.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju conveyed this to Parliament in response to a poser by a BJP MP from Punjab Avinash Rai Khanna today. As many as 2,287 Hindus/Sikhs from the two countries had applied for Indian citizenship.

Khanna’s inquiry had four parts, including whether the government proposes to allow doctors and engineers in the two communities who have migrated from Pakistan/ Afghanistan to work in India.

The minister said the country’s policy allowed states and Union Territories to grant permission to Pakistani nationals staying on long-term visa under eligible categories to engage in employments of purely “private” nature. TNS