Jodhpur, July 04: The home ministry will consider the demand for Indian citizenship made by hundreds of displaced people who have fled Pakistan, minister of state from home Swami Chinmayanand said here. The minister gave the assurance to a delegation of Pak Visthapit Sangh (Pak displaced people association) which submitted a memorandum to the minister, PVS spokesman H S Lodha said today.

The minister told reporters that the problem of displaced people had come to his knowledge for the first time and he had no detailed information on the matter. Chinmayanand said that he would take up the matter with his ministry.
The minister said that since the Central Government had agreed to provide Indian citizenship to Chakma refugees of Jammu and Kashmir, these could also be considered.

He suggested that the state government could also take up and refer it to the Centre with its comments.


In the memorandum, Lodha said the PVS demanded that a committee be constituted for this purpose of granting citizenship to the purpose.

"The act of Bhartiya Nagrikta Adhiniyam should be amended and a decision be taken about those persons who have been tortured and forced to flee from Pakistan," Lodha said.

These people have been demanding citizenship for the last three decades but no action had been taken, said.

Bureau Report