Ministry of Home Affairs today announced the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) for granting citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.
Reacting to the development, former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria, who is also a Hindu living in the country, posted on microblogging site, X that Pakistani Hindus can now breathe in open air.
Kaneria also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for notifying the Citizenship Amendment Act. Kaneria is Pakistan’s one of the top wicket-takers, especially in the test matches.
Meanwhile, Pakistani Hindu refugees residing in Delhi expressed a sense of hope and relief on the implementation of the 2019 Citizenship (Amendment) Act, saying they are elated they “will finally be called Indian citizens”.
Celebrations erupted in the Majnu ka Tilla area where they mostly live. They were singing and cheering the center’s move to announce the rules that come into force with immediate effect. Dharamveer Solanki, who is considered the chief of the Pakistani Hindu refugee families in Delhi, told the news agency, PTI that around 500 people from the community will receive citizenship now.
“I and my family have been waiting for this for over a decade now. We are extremely happy that we will be finally called Indian citizens. I am glad I decided to return to my homeland in 2013,” Solanki said.
