Khanna: Hindu families from Pakistan, living in Punjab for the past several years, on Monday demanded citizenship rights to vote in the January 30 state assembly election.

"In the absence of any citizenship rights, we have no ration cards, licences, voter cards, homes and employment. We face problems everywhere," said a Pak Hindu, now settled here.

He demanded Indian citizenship to vote in the Punjab assembly election saying "we consider India as our motherland."

Fruit vendor Pujari Lal, also a Pakistani Hindu, said he and his family members want to participate in the electoral process but they were not eligible to vote.

Some families, living in Rajpura, say they are still fighting for citizenship rights and are not allowed to leave the town without the permission of police.

"They entered India with valid travel documents, but refused to return home citing ill-treatment in Pakistan and the court has given them stay," a Rajpura police official said.

PTI