Guwahati: The Union Home Ministry on Wednesday said that persecuted minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who crossed over to India without any valid documents will be allowed to stay back.
The communities include Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians, and the cut-off date is December 31, 2024.
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Those were forced to leave their countries to escape the ordeal and torture due to being minorities.
The Union Home Ministry document reads, “A person belonging to a minority community in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan — Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians — who were compelled to seek shelter in India due to religious persecution or fear of religious persecution and entered the country on or before December 31, 2024 without valid documents, including a passport or other travel documents, or with valid documents, including a passport or other travel documents, and the validity of such documents have expired” will be exempted from the rule of possessing a valid passport and visa.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) clearly states, “these persecuted minorities who came to India on or before December 31, 2014, will be granted Indian citizenship.”
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The order, issued under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, does bring a respite to those Hindus from Pakistan who reached India after 2014 had uncertainty looming large.