19-05-2025
Pak LTV holders rushing to apply under CAA, comply with online registration rule
Nagpur: The one-room office of the Sindh-Hind Panchayat, an organisation that helps Hindu immigrants from Pakistan, was full of anxious individuals on Monday. Pakistani citizens living on a
long-term visa
(LTV) had gathered with their papers as volunteers helped them fill in details and apply afresh on a portal of the home ministry.
The mandate came soon after the govt issued exit orders for Pakistani citizens following the Pahalgam carnage. The govt had spared LTV holders, but they have been directed to apply afresh with all the details on the
eFRRO portal
. If not, their LTVs would be cancelled.
The window, which opened on May 10, ends on July 10. As they scrambled to log in to the portal, those eligible also made applications under the
Citizenship Amendment Act
(CAA) before that. They hope it would strengthen their case to stay in India. People belonging to communities like Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Buddhists, and Christians, who entered India before December 31, 2014, from Pakistan can
apply under CAA
, which ensures a faster procedure for citizenship.
The details to be filled in while applying on the FRRO portal include a disclosure of whether they have applied for Indian citizenship, apart from other papers like LTV, address, profession, and religion details. Since the status of the citizenship application has to be mentioned, those eligible are applying under CAA first, said a source here. However, only those who entered before December 31, 2014, are applying, said Rajesh Jhambia of the Sindh-Hind Panchayat.
The community hopes that the govt considers the case of all Hindus, he said.
