Radha is a young girl who came to India from Pakistan when she was just four years old. Now, she is excited to vote for the first time in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. Getting her Indian citizenship means a lot to her. It gives her the chance to have a say in her new home.
“I got my citizenship certificate earlier this year. We recently applied for voter IDs. This will be the first time I get to vote as a true Indian. I hope the government supports us,” she said.
Radha is one of about 300 Pakistani Hindus who just got Indian citizenship through the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) of 2019. Many of them lived in India for years without any official identity until now.
Dharamvir Solanki, the leader of their community, mentioned that they have around 217 families, totaling about 1,000 people. He said, “Of these, 300 people have applied for voter IDs. We also want to get ration cards soon.”
The main issue for these families is unemployment. Radha shared, “A lot of us don’t have jobs. We want more job opportunities.” Most men in the community work as daily laborers or sell small items like phone accessories, while the women mostly take care of the home.
Older members of the group hope citizenship will help them find better jobs or land to farm on. Puran, who has been in Delhi since 2013, explained, “In Pakistan, we were farmers. We fled to escape problems. Here, it’s nice, but we need land to farm.” He hopes the government will help them by giving them land to grow food.
After many years of waiting, these families are finally looking for a stable life in India.
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