Applicants for Indian citizenship from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan will now have to surrender passports
In case the applicants are carrying an active passport, the person will have to submit the passport number and other details such as date and place of issuance and date of expiry.
Indian home ministry yesterday (18 May) notified changes in citizenship rules of 2009 under which applicants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan seeking Indian citizenship under the rules will have to surrender their valid or expired passports issued by their native country within 15 days of approval of their citizenship.
According to a gazette notification, the ministry has amended the Citizenship Rules, 2009, introducing a paragraph under which the applicant should not be in possession of a valid and/or expired passport issued by the governments of Bangladesh, Pakistan or Afghanistan.
In case the applicants are carrying an active passport, the person will have to submit the passport number and other details such as date and place of issuance and date of expiry, the notification said.
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They will have to give a declaration to surrender their valid and/or expired passport to the Senior Superintendent of Post or Superintendent of Post concerned within 15 days of approval of the Indian citizenship application, it said.
The new rule will be inserted after Schedule IC of the rules which is for Bangladeshi, Afghan and Pakistani nationals belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities seeking Indian citizenship.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, paved the way for granting Indian nationality to migrants belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian communities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India before 31 December 2014.
