Union Minister Harsh Shanghvi grants Indian citizenship to 108 Pakistani migrants in Ahmedabad

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On September 12, 2023, in Ahmedabad, Union Minister Harsh Shanghvi provided citizenship to 108 migrants from Pakistan.

An Overview of the News

• The right to grant Indian citizenship to minority communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan came through gazette notifications issued in 2016 and 2018.

• The district collectors of Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Kutch in Gujarat are empowered to follow the process under the Citizenship Act for granting Indian citizenship.

• Ahmedabad District Collectorate has already granted Indian citizenship to about 1,149 Pakistani Hindu immigrants.

About Citizenship Act

• Articles 5 to 11 under Part II of the Constitution address citizenship.

  • Article 5 - Citizenship at the commencement of the Constitution

  • Article 6 - Rights of citizenship of certain persons who have migrated to India from Pakistan

  • Article 7 - Rights of citizenship of certain migrants to Pakistan

  • Article 8 - Rights of citizenship of certain persons of Indian origin resident outside India

  • Article 9 - Persons who voluntarily acquire the citizenship of a foreign State not to be citizens

  • Article 10- Continuance of rights of citizenship

  • Article 11- Parliament shall regulate by law the right of citizenship

• The Constitution recognizes those persons who became citizens of India upon its commencement on January 26, 1950.

• It lacks detailed provisions for acquiring or losing citizenship after commencement.

• The Constitution gives Parliament the right to make laws in matters related to citizenship.

• Parliament enacted the Citizenship Act (1955) as the primary legal framework for citizenship.

• Amendments to the Citizenship Act, including the repeal of the Commonwealth citizenship provision, were made through legislative acts such as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act of 2003.