Pakistani refugees welcome citizenship

The Center’s granting of citizenship to over 300 people under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) has paved the way for a better future among Pakistani Hindu refugees living in north Delhi’s Majnu Ka Tila. ignited hope for

Yashoda, 29, who came to Delhi from Pakistan in 2013 and obtained citizenship, said she would now be able to send her children to better schools.

“You’ll get a better job.”

“My husband, who works in a mobile phone repair shop, will be able to get a better job. We will be able to live a dignified life,” she added.

Dharamvir Solanki, who lives in a brick-and-mortar house, also wanted to obtain citizenship soon. Solanki came from Pakistan’s Sindh province in 2011 and has since been staying in a camp along the Yamuna river that is home to 160 families, he said.

Other Pakistani Hindu settlements in Delhi are in Adarsh ​​Nagar, Rohini and Shahabad dairy areas.

Majnu Ka Tira is dotted with hamlets. kuccha Houses and muddy roads. Residents said they had struggled to access clean drinking water and electricity and hoped their living conditions would improve in the future.

“I have voting rights.”

“Now we will be able to elect our leaders. We will have civil rights and be able to ask questions and demand answers,” Solanki said.

Harish Kumar, 23, who also obtained citizenship, said he lives in India on a tourist visa that must be renewed every six to 12 months.

“It costs between Rs 2,000 and Rs 4,000 per family,” he says.

Meanwhile, Hanuman Prasad, 45, who runs a grocery store and is awaiting citizenship, said the pandemic and last year’s Delhi floods had made survival difficult. “In the area where we live, there are no educational facilities for children and no employment for young people, who mainly work as vegetable sellers and open tobacco shops. There are people selling covers and we all know how much money they make,” he said.