Author: Agencies
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: July 12, 2010
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/645386/
Facing alleged social discrimination and economic
backwardness, a number of Hindus and Sikhs from Pakistan want to embrace Indian
citizenship.
Many Pakistanis belonging to Hindu and Sikh
faiths have been living with their relatives in various parts of India for
years and many of them want to be here permanently.
About 200 such families have been residing
in this city for over 10 years. While some of them have acquired citizenship
of this country, many who are still waiting accuse the Indian government of
being "apathetic" to their condition.
Sammakh Ram, who migrated here with his family
from Peshawar in 1998, claims that the condition of Hindus in the neighbouring
country is "miserable".
"You can't imagine how Hindus are treated
there. We neither have any rights nor facilities," he said.
Ram claims that about 15-20 lakh Hindus and
Sikhs in Pakistan are willing to settle in India as "they do not have
religious rights and are socially and economically backward."
"Now, this is our country and we will
not go back to Pakistan at any cost," he said.
Senior Punjab Minister Upinderjit Kaur said,
"Citizenship is given on the basis of certain rules and not on mere request."
Seeking intervention of the Union government
to resolve the problems of Hindus and Sikhs, Kaur asked the Centre to take
up the matter with Pakistan authorities and ensure protection of human rights
of the minorities in that country.
Thakkar Sapaal, who moved here from Sialkot,
said Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan face inconvenience when it comes to performing
the last rites of their family members.
"There are hardly any cremation grounds
for us there. We usually travel 300-400 kms to cremate our people," he
said.
Buaditta, another man who migrated to India
from Sialkot, claimed: "Sometimes we are prevented from celebrating religious
festivals there and are threatened."
Seventy-year-old Mulk Raj, who left his business
in Karachi and settled here, claims that Pakistani authorities sometimes even
want them to spy for their country.
Mulk Raj came here with his family of ten,
out of whom four have acquired Indian citizenship. Though he is an Indian
citizen now, his wife is not.
"We face problems in getting our passports
renewed. In India, we are asked to go to Pakistan and get official letters
from there to get new passports. When we go there, we are not given the letters
that we need," he said.
BJP MP Avinash Rai Khanna said the party has
constituted a committee to look into the problems of such people.
"We have demanded that Punjab government
give a monthly grant of Rs 500 to each member of such families living in the
state, a maximum of Rs 2,000 per family."
