Delhi: In a heartwarming ceremony held in Ahmedabad on Thursday, 195 migrants from Pakistan were formally granted Indian citizenship, marking a milestone in their long journey as refugees. Among them, 122 people received citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), while the remaining 73 received certificates through regular procedures at the Ahmedabad district collector’s office.
Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi welcomed the new citizens, saying, “Smile, now you are citizens of India.” He highlighted the diverse backgrounds of the recipients, which included Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jain communities who had migrated to India decades ago. Sanghavi also praised their resilience, noting that some of the beneficiaries were elderly professionals who had served communities as doctors and teachers, while others were children who had faced hardships in their countries of origin.
Dr. Maheshkumar Purohit, a gynaecologist who moved to India in 1956, described receiving citizenship as a long-awaited emotional moment, enabling him to finally obtain a passport and visit his daughter abroad. Similarly, engineer Pooja Abhimanyu expressed that the citizenship certificate symbolized far more than a document—it was recognition, security, and a sense of belonging.
Meanwhile, in Odisha, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi handed Indian citizenship certificates to 35 migrants residing in Nabarangpur district under the CAA 2019. These individuals, who had migrated from Bangladesh, celebrated the milestone as a historic moment in their lives.
