No Hope For Hindus and Pakistani Minorities At 66th Independence Day

Hindus and Non Muslims are Isolated in Pakistan, 150 families of Hindus and Sikhs came to India, some more than 20 years ago, and made Amritsar their home.

And all these years, they have been surviving on hope - that one day they will be granted Indian citizenship.

Their applications to the government have remained stuck in bureaucratic red tape. Sixty-year-old Naam Singh says he has been trying to get Indian citizenship since 2007.

'They misplace our files and ask us to apply afresh,' he adds.

In the meantime, the exodus from across the border continues unabated. In 2008, Bihai, Avtari, Jagtari and Gulzari families, comprising 60 members in all, came to India from Peshawar, wanting to stay here forever, according to sources.

The migrants in Amritsar do have permission to stay in the country from the home department, but they still consider themselves forsaken as the citizenship issue has been dragging on for years. MP Avinash Rai Khanna took up the cudgels for them after several families which had shifted to India long ago approached him.

After his intervention, the ministry of home affairs relaxed some norms to help the 'eligible' Pakistani Hindus and Sikhs take up citizenship.

But they still need to stay in the country for seven years and have no record of anti-India activity before they can become legal citizens.

'We hope to resolve the issue soon,' Khanna says.

According to the migrants, they felt insecure in the neighbouring country. The Hindus in Pakistan's tribal areas were the worst affected during the Taliban's regime in Afghanistan.

'They had been pressuring Hindus to convert to Islam. Our daughters were not safe there. We always feared death or kidnap,' says Bihari Lal Sharma, who came to Amritsar's Peshawari Mohalla from Pakistan's North West Frontier Province in August 2008.

'I had an established business of ayurvedic medicines in Peshawar. But we were not safe there,' he adds.

Bihari made the move after all his relatives migrated to India and his family was left alone in Peshawar. 'We did not have any other option,' he explains.

The family came in two batches - first his wife came with his son and the rest of the family shifted later with Bihari. HE IS still obviously attached to Pakistan as he clings on to his 'last' picture in the country.

'This was clicked with a van in which I came to Peshawar before reaching Lahore.' 

But he has no intention to return to his homeland. "We want Indian citizenship," he insists. Bihari's son Chetan talks in detail about the helplessness they felt in Pakistan. "Hindu boys don't get brides. Girls don't get Hindu boys to marry.
Pakistan is conservative and doesn't permit girls to go to school. We wanted our sister to study," he says.
'Hindus and Sikhs remain on the margins of society there,' he adds.
Shiv Kumar, 20 years old, came to Amritsar in July 2005.
'We get a visa for Delhi and extend it for Amritsar,' he explains.
The migrants are forced to undertake odd jobs as they do not get proper ones because of the 'Pakistani' tag.
Shiv works at a tyre shop at Jahaj Garh, Amritsar's scrap market. And others, including Chetan, sell vegetables

some famous non muslims of pakistan:
 Shahbaz Bhatti aka Clement Shahbaz Bhatti ( Pakistani Politician )
 Imran Masih ( Blasphemy Victim )
 Sohail Masih ( Professor at the University of Peshawar )
 Michael Javed (  Former Sindh MPA and Christian leader )
 Richard D'Souza ( Pakistani Catholic Priest )
 Ramesh Kumar Vankwani ( Pakistan Hindu Council patron )
 Bherulal Balani ( Politician )
 Pitamber Sewani ( Member of the Sindh Provincial Assembly (MPA) )
 Dr.Ashothama Lohano( Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Sindh Taskforce Coordinator) 
 Kishan Kumar ( Unknown )
 Ram Singh Sodho ( Politician )
 Haroon Masih ( Human Rights Activist )
 Veerji Kohli ( Social Activist )
 Rooplo Kohli ( Freedom Fighter )
 Danish Kaneria ( Professional Cricket Player )
 Deepak Perwani ( Fashion Designer,Model,Actor)
 Naveen Perwani ( Snooker Player )
 Suneeta Marshal ( model and television actress )
 Hemu Kalani ( revolutionary and freedom fighter)
 Saleem Khursheed Khokhar ( Member of the Sindh Provincial Assembly (MPA) )
 Saleem Raza ( Playback Singer )
 Samuel John ( Psychology professor at University in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa )
 Aisa Bibi aka Aisa Noreen ( Blasphemy Victim ) 
 Peter Jacob ( national secretary of NCJP ) 
 Rimsa Masih ( Blasphemy Victim )
 Rinkel Kumari ( Former Hindu )
 Asha Kumari ( trainee in a beauty parlor )
 Lata Kumari ( Doctor )
 Amarnath Motumal ( Vice Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Activist , Lawyear )
 Babu Mahesh Lakhani ( the head of a Hindu panchayat )
 Esther John ( Nurse )
 Yousuf Youhana ( Professional Cricket Player )
 Giyan Chand ( Pakistani Hindu Diplomat )
 Krishan Bheel ( Politician )
 Ramesh Lal ( Politician)
 Kanji Rano Bheel (  coordinator of the HRCP ) 
 Amarnath Randhawa ( Secretary General ,Hindu Sudhar Sabha ) 
 Heera Lal ( Chairman, Hindu Sudhar Sabha ) 
 Anil Dalpat Sonavaria ( Cricketer ) 
 Rana Bhagwandas ( Former Chief Justice, Senior Judge ) 
 Dr.Mahesh Kumar Malani  ( Politician, President of Pakistan Peoples Party Minority Wing )  
 Jagdish Malani ( revolutionist,National Assembly of Pakistan and Provincial Assembly of Sindh)
 Motiram Malani ( National Assembly of Pakistan and Provincial Assembly of Sindh )
 Rajesh Ramesh ( Cricketer )
 Dr. Tara Chand ( Provincial Minister, Central Secretary General of Baloch International League for Peace and Freedom )
 Bhawani Shankar Chowdhry ( ICT Professional and an electronics engineer )
 Comrade Sobho Gianchandani ( social scientist, and revolutionary writer )
 Dr. Khatumal Jeewan (  scheduled caste Hindu Senator of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) )
 Lal Kumar ( Criketer )
 Amar Lal ( advisor to minority affairs in the country )
 Seth Vishandas Nihalchand ( Business Man, Politician )
 Anoop Santosh ( Cricketer)
 Rana Chander Singh ( Politician )
 Surendar Valasai  ( Journalist  ) 
 Satish Anand ( a prominent Pakistani filmmaker and Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla’s uncle )
 GC Harcharn Singh ( First Sikh Officer In Pakistan Army )
 Kalyan Singh Kalyan ( Province Assembly Member in Pakistan and he is a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party  )
 Dr. Gulab Singh Shaheen ( First Sikh traffic police inspector )

 Some Important Links : 

 1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Pakistani_Roman_Catholic_priests
 2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Pakistani_Roman_Catholics
 3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Pakistani_Christians
 4) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Pakistani_Hindus

Source : dailymail and wiki