Over 7,000 applicants from Pakistan applied for Indian citizenship, minister informs Parliament

India's Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai told Parliament that 7,306 applicants from Pakistan had applied for Indian citizenship till December this year.

The minister informed India's Upper House of Parliament that people from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, USA, Nepal, Bangladesh including those who were stateless had also applied for Indian citizenship. The list also included ten people from China. There were in all 10,635 applicants for Indian citizenship till December 14, the minister said.

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The minister said 3,117 people from minority communities in Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan were granted Indian citizenship in the past four years.

Rai while responding to a question from a Parliament member said that as many as 8,244 people belonging to Sikh, Jain, Hindu and Christian communities from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh had applied for Indian citizenship in the last three years.

The minister informed that all foreign nationals are governed by the provisions contained in the Foreigners Act, 1946, the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and the Citizenship Act, 1955.

"The number of citizenship applications received from Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Christian minorities groups from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan during the year 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 is 8,244," the minister told Indian lawmakers.

(With inputs from Agencies)