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Pakistani Hindu families find it hard to settle in India
No access to basic facilities, being treated as inferiors awaits immigrants once they cross the border
In search of greener pastures many Hindu families from Pakistan immigrate to India but the treatment they receive makes them realise that the grass is not as green as perceived, at the other side of the border.
Hundreds of Hindu families who left Pakistan in the past decade, allured by the Indian government’s promises of citizenship and work, have either been living in tent settlements in New Delhi or have returned back home due to the lack of access to basic services and the Indian government’s empty promises. One such family is that of Pyaru Shawani, a resident of Mithi, Tharparkar.
“I spent two years in India but my longing to go back to Pakistan eventually won. India is okay to live in when one is a guest but staying there permanently is a massive challenge,” informed Shawani, adding that there was no place like home. Faqiroo Khachi, who went to India along with his family and 46 other Hindus, moved back to Pakistan in December of 2020 and shares Shawani’s feelings.
“We went for a religious pilgrimage but our relatives in India forced us to stay back and start a new life. It was a dreadful experience,” recalled Khachi.
“We stayed in a tent settlement and everyone would refer to us as Pakistanis and look down upon us. Some would even call us terrorists because we wore shalwar kameez. Overall it was a dreadful time.”
While some like Shawani and Khachi do not put up with the treatment dished out to them, there are others who stay. As per data by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs, more than 4,100 Pakistanis have received Indian citizenship in the past five years and many more are pending.
tribune.com.pk
No access to basic facilities, being treated as inferiors awaits immigrants once they cross the border
In search of greener pastures many Hindu families from Pakistan immigrate to India but the treatment they receive makes them realise that the grass is not as green as perceived, at the other side of the border.
Hundreds of Hindu families who left Pakistan in the past decade, allured by the Indian government’s promises of citizenship and work, have either been living in tent settlements in New Delhi or have returned back home due to the lack of access to basic services and the Indian government’s empty promises. One such family is that of Pyaru Shawani, a resident of Mithi, Tharparkar.
“I spent two years in India but my longing to go back to Pakistan eventually won. India is okay to live in when one is a guest but staying there permanently is a massive challenge,” informed Shawani, adding that there was no place like home. Faqiroo Khachi, who went to India along with his family and 46 other Hindus, moved back to Pakistan in December of 2020 and shares Shawani’s feelings.
“We went for a religious pilgrimage but our relatives in India forced us to stay back and start a new life. It was a dreadful experience,” recalled Khachi.
“We stayed in a tent settlement and everyone would refer to us as Pakistanis and look down upon us. Some would even call us terrorists because we wore shalwar kameez. Overall it was a dreadful time.”
While some like Shawani and Khachi do not put up with the treatment dished out to them, there are others who stay. As per data by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs, more than 4,100 Pakistanis have received Indian citizenship in the past five years and many more are pending.
Pakistani Hindu families find it hard to settle in India | The Express Tribune
No access to basic facilities, being treated as inferiors awaits immigrants once they cross the border
