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| Centre extends visa of genuine Pak nationals | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
NEW DELHI, June 10: Union Home Affairs Ministry has given its nod for the extension of visa to certain categories of Pakistani nationals staying in India for long. This is being done on humanitarian grounds, according to the Ministry.
The categories for whom the Ministry in consultation with Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Law has relaxed rules for granting long term visa, or LTV, are member of minority communities in Pakistan, mainly Hindus and Sikhs; Pak women married to Indian nationals and staying in India; Indian women married to Pak nationals and returning due to widowhood/divorce and having no male member to support them in Pakistan; and cases where extraordinary compassion is warranted.
Earlier, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked the State Governments Administrations of Union Territories to consider cases for extension of the Long-term Visa (LTV) of certain categories of Pakistani nationals without insisting on validity of passports as per the provisions of the Gazette Notification issued on May, 15, 2010 regarding cases where Pakistani nationals have come to India permanently with the intention to attain Indian citizenship. However, only such Pakistani nationals are eligible to be considered for grant/extension of LTV who have come to India on or before December, 31, 2009.
A Ministry statement issued here today said that the matter was examined in consultation with the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Law and it has been decided to grant exemption to such Pak nationals from the provisions of Rule 3 of the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920. Accordingly, an order to this effect has been notified on May 15, 2010.
The statement says that grant of LTV is also being considered in the case of male Muslim community members who were originally Indian citizen and who went to Pakistan after partition leaving behind family in India and returned back to India on a valid passport issued by the Government of Pakistan and settled in the State of Kerala so that they can acquire Indian Citizenship.
Some of such Pak nationals were unable to extend the validity period of their passports on account of reasons like Pakistan High Commission's refusal to extend the validity of passport in the absence of Computerised National Identity Card which Pakistan has of late been issuing to their nationals; and poor economic conditions of the Pak nationals.
The Ministry of Home Affairs have been receiving a large number of references from such Pak nationals staying in various States where their passports had expired and they ware not able to renew the same. In the absence of valid passport/Visa, they are not considered for Indian citizenship.
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