Nida (Left) and Mahrukh Naseem were granted Indian citizenship in March 2019. PHOTO: INDIA TODAY
After struggle of over two decades, two Pakistani-origin women were conferred Indian nationality.
Nida and Mahrukh Naseem, born in Karachi and living in India since 1995, were finally granted Indian citizenship on March 23.
Their parents got married in 1989. Mahrukh was born in 1991 and Nida was born in 1995. Their father is an Indian citizen, while their mother was a Pakistani national, reported Indian Today.
The mother was granted Indian citizenship in 2007. However, her two daughters, who have been living in India for the last 24 years, continued to face problems.
India requests Pakistan to halt artillery fire along LoC
Nida and Mahrukh on Tuesday thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for granting them the citizenship.
Naseem said it took them 24 years to acquire the citizenship, adding that since their mother was Pakistani it also made the procedure more difficult.
Moreover, the lion’s share of foreigners seeking Pakistani citizenship came from the eastern neighbour during the last 10 years, according to a report.
Out of the 635 foreigners to become citizens of the country, 461 came from India. While Afghanistan and Sri Lanka came in second and third.
(With additional input from News Desk)
COMMENTS (1)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ