They came to India with dreams of freedom and peace and now India is doing what it feels will help achieve this dream. The Pak Hindus and other minorities who have been forced out of their nation are re-building their lives and the Indian government is trying to make them a part of the Indian growth story!
759 applications have been received from Pak Hindu migrants during the two-day camp at Preetamlal Sabhagruh in Indore on Tuesday.
The government of India is running several such special camps in seven states (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi) to ensure that the Hindus and Sikhs from Pakistan and Afghanistan get a chance to file for either citizenship or Long Term Visa for India.
Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Rajkot, Kutch (Bhuj), Pune, Nagpur, Patan, Bhopal, Indore, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Lucknow, Raipur and West Delhi are the areas where this drive will go on and will run till June 27th.
There are close to two lakh refugees from countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who have put their hopes in India to take care of their human rights which their home nations have trampled upon.
One reason why Indians have largely responded sympathetically towards Pak Hindus and Sikhs and other migrants looking for a forever home in India is due to their peaceful and hard-working nature and their stress on working or opening businesses instead of trying to get jobs.
This way they also contribute to Indian economy and generate employment and it is due to this that India has also decided to help them open bank accounts, self-occupation and self-employment, getting properties and driving licence, PAN and Aadhar card etc.
Many Pak Hindus have been forced out of their nation due to rising intolerance among the population. The Pakistani Hindu and Sikh numbers are dwindling at an alarming rate and forced conversions, Temple destructions, extortion, abduction, targeted killings and land grabbing and no justice from state agencies have made them vulnerable to further attacks.
India’s central government had also promised in its election manifesto that it would do everything possible to ensure that citizenship delays are tackled earlier than usual, but it has refrained from talking about human rights violations of Pak Hindus, Sikhs and other minorities, and has instead started mending bridges in India.
