185 Individuals Found Crossing Border Line

Quick Summary

• Citizenship Granted: On July 25,Sooroji kanji Sodha and his wife,along with 183 other pakistani nationals in Gujarat,received Indian citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA),2019.
• Background: Migrants from Pakistan – largely non-Muslim minorities – faced challenges like religious persecution, caste discrimination, and personal insecurity before choosing to migrate to India. Many left behind properties and livelihoods in search of safety.
• CAA Guidelines: The CAA provides citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who migrated before December 31, 2014. District Collectors can grant discretionary citizenship powers.
• Data Insights: Between July 2024-July 2025:

– A total of 1,050 Pakistani nationals were granted Indian citizenship in Gujarat under the CAA framework.
– Separate discretionary actions by District Collectors since 2018 have benefited up to an additional 1,386 individuals.
– The highest number of new citizens are concentrated in Ahmedabad (433), followed by Rajkot (271).

• Challenges Faced by Migrants:

– Long waits for documentation keep many families socially and economically marginalized with limited access to benefits like education or welfare schemes.
– Procedural inefficiencies reportedly impede applications for remaining migrants despite broad support for the Act’s provisions among beneficiaries.

indian Opinion Analysis

The granting of Indian citizenship thru the Citizenship (Amendment) Act reflects India’s steps toward addressing humanitarian concerns for persecuted minorities from neighboring countries. While recipients express relief at achieving formal recognition as citizens after years of uncertainty regarding their legal status or identity within India-and highlight reasons such protecting daughters vulnerable,various jurisdictions-relative backlog open-loop stages’]))),