MHA has asked the State Governments/UT Administration
to consider cases for extension of the Long-term Visa (LTV) of certain categories of Pakistani nationals without insisting of validity of
passports as per the provisions of the Gazette notification issued on May, 15,
2010 as such 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.
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 following categories of Pak
nationals are covered to enable them to qualify for extension of Visa:
(a) Member of minority
communities in Pakistan (Hindus & Sikhs)
(b) Pak women married to Indian
nationals and staying in India.
(c) Indian women married to Pak
nationals and returning due to widowhood/divorce and having no male member to
support them in Pakistan and
(d) Cases involving extreme
compassion.
In addition to
abovementioned four categories of Pak nationals, grant of LTV is also being
considered in the case of male Muslim community members being originally Indian
citizen 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.
Such Pak nationals were unable to
extend the validity period of their passports on account of reasons such as
(i)
Pakistan High Commission’s refusal to extend the validity of passport
in the absence of Computerized National Identity Card. Pakistan is issuing Computerized National
identity Cards to their nationals and extends validity of Passports in respect
of only those Pak nationals who possess the National Identity Card.
(ii)
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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RS/KKA