Latest news with #Sindh-HindiPanchayat
Time of India
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Rings exchanged, border closure delays nuptial ties
Nagpur: Engaged to a girl in Dherki town of Pakistan's Sindh province six months ago, Mukesh Motiyani, 30-year-old finance professional, is anxiously hoping the borders open soon. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The fiancee of Dalip Kaityar's brother too is now stuck in Pakistan, though they were engaged in 2023 with plans to get married soon. Sagar Kukreja, an Indian citizen, got engaged to Rakhi in Pakistan two years ago, and was supposed to get married on June 28. But then the Pahalgam killings happened and the govt closed the borders, leaving all these marriages postponed indefinitely. Fourth-generation immigrants from Sindh, the Motiyani family had found a match for Mukesh in Pakistan through a common acquaintance. A similar link to Pakistan runs through numerous Sindhi families. The Sindh-Hindi Panchayat, a community NGO, has a thick file with documents of cross-border brides now unable to join their spouses in India. The organisation has compiled the documents of nearly 50 such cases. The govt order to close the borders with Pakistan after the Pahalgam killings has left these Hindu couples separated. The NGO plans to submit a memorandum with the papers to the Union home ministry. These will include the girls' passports and even visa applications for coming to India. A special permission will be sought for granting them a visa. "We would be requesting that, if needed, only brides should be allowed to come down, without the entire entourage. Visas will be sought for four cities like Nagpur, Raipur, Mumbai, and Pune, where the families belong," Rajesh Jhambia, the Panchayat secretary, told TOI. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Apart from the would-be brides, there are some families too that have been separated. Sagar Panjwani, a Pakistani citizen who now lives in India on a long-term visa (LTV), got married in 2017, but his wife is in Pakistan now. "After staying in India for two years, she preferred to go back. Finally, my wife is ready to come back to Nagpur, but her visa applications were rejected twice. Now, the borders have been closed," he says. If Panjwani exits, he would have to permanently leave India, which he doesn't want. A man in his sixties stood with the papers of his would-be daughter-in-law. "We want her to come down at the earliest. I heard that two girls in the neighbourhood were converted recently. It's better that she comes to India and gets married soon," he said, requesting anonymity. The engagement happened over a year ago, and the family had returned to India, he said. In cases of cross-border marriages, the families prefer to leave a cap of one or two years between the wedding and engagement. This is done considering the time need to get a visa, explain the families. "The tradition in the community is that it's the bride's family that travels to the groom's place for the marriage. That is the reason many grooms have returned to India after engagement and are now waiting for their brides," explained Motiyani. The grooms include Indian citizens and even Pakistanis living on LTV, hoping to permanently settle in India. The families prefer to get their girls married to homes in India, where they find better prospects, they say. A Muslim couple, Mohhammed Abbas from Jaunpur and Andaleep, who solemnised an online nikah before Pahalgam too remain separated, says his cousin Kashif Naqvi, who helps Muslim immigrants with their visa formalities.
Time of India
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
110 Pak immigrants take oath of allegiance to India in first step towards citizenship
Nagpur: Even as the fate of Pakistani citizens living in India on long-term visa (LTV) seems uncertain — 110 of them in the city took the oath of allegiance to India on Tuesday, the first step towards obtaining Indian citizenship by naturalisation. It was the first batch of Pakistani immigrants, included 11 minors, in Nagpur to take the oath after the restrictions imposed following the Pahalgam attacks. Soon after the Pahalgam killings, the govt issued exit orders for Pakistanis living in India. Even though it was later clarified that those on LTV could stay, they were required to fill in their details afresh on a ministry of home affairs (MHA) portal before July 10. With barely a week remaining for the deadline, those left out are scrambling to upload the details in time. This group, with the oath taken, is now secured about their stay in the country. The final citizenship card will follow in two to three months, said Rajesh Jhambhia of the Sindh-Hindi Panchayat, an NGO for immigrants. "It could happen because all the security clearances have been completed. The district administration, which handles such cases, was also prompt," he said. The Panchayat is also helping the remaining Pakistanis fill up the details in the MHA portal, enabling them to continue staying on LTVs and apply for citizenship. The majority of Pakistani citizens living on LTV are Hindu immigrants from Sindh, and the exit orders post-Pahalgam had left many harried. Nineteen-year-old Nancy Sewani says she can finally pursue her dream of becoming an air hostess. Growing up in India, she had to wait until her parents became Indian citizens first. Last year, Nancy appeared for an interview with a leading airline but was rejected for not having a passport, said her brother Akash. Soon she will get an Indian passport, and she hopes to apply again. Among those taking the oath was a 22-year-old who lost her parents during her stay in India. She stayed behind with her relatives and has finally qualified to become an Indian citizen through naturalisation. "My parents died in 2018 and 2020. I continued to stay here with my relatives as I found India a better place for education," she said, requesting anonymity. A Kodalal Bagzai, a 55-year-old from Jacobabad, Pakistan, was also among those taking the oath. He came to India with his five children, one of whom died of a heart attack. "My relatives offered me a job in Nagpur, so we shifted to India for better prospects. Now I drive an e-rickshaw," he says. "The families prefer to stay in India because of their children's future. Many of them are taking higher education and wish to pursue their career in India," said Jhambia. Nagpur: Even as the fate of Pakistani citizens living in India on long-term visa (LTV) seems uncertain — 110 of them in the city took the oath of allegiance to India on Tuesday, the first step towards obtaining Indian citizenship by naturalisation. It was the first batch of Pakistani immigrants, included 11 minors, in Nagpur to take the oath after the restrictions imposed following the Pahalgam attacks. Soon after the Pahalgam killings, the govt issued exit orders for Pakistanis living in India. Even though it was later clarified that those on LTV could stay, they were required to fill in their details afresh on a ministry of home affairs (MHA) portal before July 10. With barely a week remaining for the deadline, those left out are scrambling to upload the details in time. This group, with the oath taken, is now secured about their stay in the country. The final citizenship card will follow in two to three months, said Rajesh Jhambhia of the Sindh-Hindi Panchayat, an NGO for immigrants. "It could happen because all the security clearances have been completed. The district administration, which handles such cases, was also prompt," he said. The Panchayat is also helping the remaining Pakistanis fill up the details in the MHA portal, enabling them to continue staying on LTVs and apply for citizenship. The majority of Pakistani citizens living on LTV are Hindu immigrants from Sindh, and the exit orders post-Pahalgam had left many harried. Nineteen-year-old Nancy Sewani says she can finally pursue her dream of becoming an air hostess. Growing up in India, she had to wait until her parents became Indian citizens first. Last year, Nancy appeared for an interview with a leading airline but was rejected for not having a passport, said her brother Akash. Soon she will get an Indian passport, and she hopes to apply again. Among those taking the oath was a 22-year-old who lost her parents during her stay in India. She stayed behind with her relatives and has finally qualified to become an Indian citizen through naturalisation. "My parents died in 2018 and 2020. I continued to stay here with my relatives as I found India a better place for education," she said, requesting anonymity. A Kodalal Bagzai, a 55-year-old from Jacobabad, Pakistan, was also among those taking the oath. He came to India with his five children, one of whom died of a heart attack. "My relatives offered me a job in Nagpur, so we shifted to India for better prospects. Now I drive an e-rickshaw," he says. "The families prefer to stay in India because of their children's future. Many of them are taking higher education and wish to pursue their career in India," said Jhambia.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Assimilate into Indian culture, Hindu immigrants from Pak told
Nagpur: The RSS' Mahanagar Sanghchalak (city chief), Rajesh Loya, has asked Hindu immigrants from Pakistan to assimilate into Indian culture and not remain an isolated group. Immigrants from Pakistan are living in India on a long-term visa (LTV), with many applying for citizenship under the CAA or even through the regular process of naturalisation. A recent order, following the Pahalgam killings, which asks them to apply afresh with their visa details at the Union home ministry portal, has left many anxious. Many of them have sought clarification from community leaders. Addressing their concerns, Loya asked them to adapt to Indian culture and not panic needlessly. Many Hindu immigrants admitted that they were not well-versed in Hindu ways of life, especially the cultural nuances, because of their stay in Pakistan. "It's because many of them spent a large part of their life in Pakistan and could not learn much about Hindu culture," said Rajesh Jhambia, the secretary of Sindh-Hindi Panchayat, the NGO which helps the immigrants. "Of course, many of them watched the episodes of Ramayana and Mahabharata on video cassettes, but they did not have an in-depth knowledge of Indian customs. There was little scope to learn either," said one of them. Loya told TOI that he wanted to tell the immigrants to leave the past behind and look forward to what lies ahead. "They have left Pakistan behind following the troubles they endured in the country. Now in India, they have this opportunity to start afresh. They should learn Indian culture and rise beyond caste and creed to work for the upliftment of society," Loya said. Later, addressing the gathering, Jhambia said LTV holders need to apply at the Union home ministry portal before July 10. Anyone living on an LTV and not granted Indian citizenship must apply on the new portal. There are over 2,300 LTV holders in Nagpur, and failure to apply afresh before July 10 can lead to action.
