“New Birth Certificates For Us”: Pakistani Refugee Celebrates Indian Citizenship Under CAA

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 17th May. “These are like new birth certificates for us,” said Dayal Singh, a refugee from Pakistan, upon receiving Indian citizenship certificates for himself, his son, and his daughter. Singh, 47, who has lived in a shanty in North Delhi’s Majnu-ka-Tilla since 2013 after migrating from Pakistan with his family, was among 14 people granted citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) on Wednesday.

The CAA, enacted to provide Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, has been a lifeline for Singh. While his wife Mira, 40, and their other five children are yet to receive their certificates, she expressed happiness that part of their family is now recognized as “Bharatiya Nagriks” (Indian citizens). “Our journey was filled with challenges due to the identity we carried with us. But now we are ‘Bharatiya Nagriks’,” Mira told PTI.

Life has been tough for the migrant families at the camp, where many live in cramped conditions and engage in odd jobs to survive. “My father-in-law used to always say, ‘One day we will be called Bharatiyas and that will be the biggest day of our lives’. He died waiting for that day,” Mira said, reflecting on their hardships.

The citizenship certificates, processed online through a designated portal, were handed over by the Union home secretary. For Singh, his son Bharat Kumar, daughter Yashoda, and 11 others, it was a day of celebration.

Jhula Ram, who also migrated from Pakistan’s Sindh province, shared similar sentiments. “We took our first step in India on October 5, 2013. Yesterday, we became citizens of this country,” he said. Ram recounted the tense atmosphere in Sindh and the constant threats they faced. Despite missing the Devi Maa temple near his home in Pakistan, he looks forward to visiting Vaishno Devi in Jammu.

Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mira said the new identity will secure her family’s future. She named her youngest daughter, 14, after the late actor Sridevi.

However, not all refugees are eligible under the CAA. A 58-year-old camp resident, who wished to remain anonymous, explained, “We came here in 2015, and as per the CAA, only those who came to India on or before December 31, 2014, will get the benefits.” Shantaram, another resident, lamented, “People call us Pakistani refugees, but now we will be called Indians. However, my family and I came in 2015.”

The CAA, enacted in December 2019, aims to grant Indian nationality to persecuted Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi, and Christian migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who arrived before December 31, 2014. While the Act received presidential assent promptly, the rules for granting citizenship were issued only on March 11 this year after a delay of over four years. Union Home Minister Amit Shah remarked that the long wait for those facing religious persecution is now over.