The 31 districts in nine states (Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan Gujrat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh) in India will grant citizenship to people belonging to minority communities of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
According to Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai on Tuesday, the central government of India has authorized 31 district magistrates in nine states to give citizenship to people from minority communities of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh under the Citizenship Act.
The decision to offer Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis (Zarathustra), and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan would be under the Citizenship Act of 1955 rather than the 2019 controversial Citizenship Amendment Act.
Due to the four decades of war, insecurity and the life-threatening situation in Afghanistan, most of the Afghan Sikhs have left the country and resided in India.
On the other hand, many were prompted to leave the country due to the economy’s collapse after the Taliban took power in August 2021.
The Indian government has made it easier for Sikhs and Hindus fleeing Afghanistan by providing visas and residency permits and organizing evacuation flights. India is home to most of the world’s Sikh population, including Afghan Sikhs.
