Bhopal: It's Independence Day for us, say ex-migrants from Pakistan

BHOPAL (Madhya Pradesh): Amid slogans of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah Zindabad, documents of citizenships were handed over to 19 migrants from Pakistan by Home Minister Narottam Mishra at a function at Sindhu Bhawan in the city on Tuesday.

The new citizens of India were elated that they would now be able to move in the country freely, would get the right to vote and to conduct their businesses anywhere in the country.

Amba Bai, 62, who lives in Gandhinagar, said that she had migrated from Pakistan in 1991 along with her husband and two children. Her husband expired in 2002. We will now get freedom from regular visits of policemen at our house, said Amba Bai, who was present at the function along with her daughter, 38 and son, 40.

The son of Nandlal Panjwani, 82, from Bairagarh, also received his citizenship documents at the event. Nandlal was granted citizenship 15 days back. Hindu women are not safe in Pakistan, he said. Panjwani said that for want of citizenship, they were not allowed to travel beyond Bhopal. Now, we have got the right to vote, which is great, he said.

Sangeeta, 44, from Indore had left Pakistan in 1990. She got married in 1996 and applied for citizenship in 1998. Now, we can buy property here, she said. Her 90-year-old father-in-law, who was granted citizenship earlier, said that in Pakistan, even Hindu women had to wear hijab.

Bhajan Lal, 40, who lives in Sindhi Colony, had come to India in 1990. Every two years, we had to fill form. Now, that will not be required, he said.

Vicky Kumar, 36, had also shifted to India in 1990, as a kid. His parents got citizenship in 2003. But he received the documents declaring him a citizen of India on Tuesday. It is Independence Day for us, he said

160 granted citizenship

Since 2016, the state has granted citizenship to 160 migrants from Pakistan. Of them, 140 were granted citizenship earlier. He said that the process for granting citizenship to the remaining migrants was underway. In Indore, 3000 people had applied for citizenship. Of them, 501 have been awarded citizenship. -Narottam Mishra, Home Minister