The Indian government has announced that under the amended citizenship law, applicants for Indian citizenship from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh must provide complete details of their current and previous passports to the relevant authorities.
In a recent statement, India’s Ministry of Home Affairs said that religious minorities from these three countries seeking Indian citizenship are required to register all details related to their passports. This information includes the passport number, date of issue, place of issue, and expiry date.
Indian officials say this measure was introduced after some individuals continued to retain passports from Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Bangladesh even after obtaining Indian citizenship, despite the fact that India does not recognize dual citizenship.
Under the new regulations, individuals who receive Indian citizenship must surrender their previous passports to the relevant authorities within 15 days.
The Indian Parliament passed this controversial law in 2019. Under the law, India can grant citizenship to religious minorities who migrated from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh due to persecution. Muslims are excluded from this special provision, while Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Zoroastrians, and Christians who migrated before 2015 are eligible to apply for citizenship.
In recent years, following the Taliban’s return to power, the situation of religious and ethnic minorities in Afghanistan has become increasingly critical, leading many Sikhs and other minority groups to migrate to India, Canada, and other countries.
Writer:Saeed Sameer
