India

Pakistani Christian becomes first in Goa to get citizenship under CAA

A Christian senior citizen from Pakistan, residing in Goa, was given an Indian citizenship certificate by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday through the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Joseph Francis A. Pereira who currently resides in Cansaulim, South Goa, is the first in the state to get Indian citizenship under CAA.

While speaking to ANI, Joseph thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for bringing the CAA.

“CAA was applied and within one month, the approval has come. I am very grateful to the CAA that was brought by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah,” he said.

Joseph Pereira was the only one who had applied for citizenship as his wife was already a citizen of India.

He further said, “I went in 1960 to Pakistan and I did my education there. I got an opportunity to work in Bahrain for 37 years. After my retirement in 2013, I came to Goa and from that time, I have been staying with my family. There are lots of Goan people in Pakistan but I have not visited there. My last visit there was in 1979. I had a hard time there while I was doing schooling as job opportunities were not there.”

His wife, Martha Pereira told ANI that they were trying to get citizenship from the time they got married, but nothing was helping them.

“From the time we got married, have been applying but nothing was coming out of it. We applied through CAA in June this year. Without CAA, there would have been a lot of hurdles,” she said.

“I am thankful for whatever is happening in our case,” she added.

Speaking on the occasion, Goa CM Pramod Sawant said that it is a matter of pride for them.

“I thank the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. Those who were in Pakistan or elsewhere were asking for citizenship for almost 60 years. So today after the law is passed, we are giving citizenship and it is a matter of pride for us,” he said.

The Act allows Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Christians, Parsis, and Buddhists from neighbouring countries (Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan) who entered India before December 31, 2014, to apply for citizenship after verification.

ANI

Ani service

Recent Posts

UKPNP protests at UNHRC over rights violations in PoJK, PoGB

The United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP) held a demonstration outside the United Nations headquarters…

15 hours ago

China wants control, not unity: Taiwan’s President calls for nationwide resistance to CCP’s aggression

President William Lai has discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-China groups can agree to maintain solidarity…

15 hours ago

PM Modi’s decision to open space sector “greatest turning point”; industry could grow to over $40 billion in decade: Jitendra Singh

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to open up…

17 hours ago

Tibetan leader concludes UK visit with strong appeal for Tibet at UK Parliament, urges policy shift and global support

Tibetan Government-in-Exile President Sikyong Penpa Tsering concluded a significant three-day official visit to the UK…

18 hours ago

Delhi: Dwarka Expressway gets India’s first AI-powered smart traffic system

By Amrit Prakash India unveiled its first Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) project at Delhi's…

19 hours ago

Indian Armed Forces participate in multinational exercise ‘Khaan Quest 2025’ in Mongolia

The Indian Armed Forces actively participated in the ongoing multinational exercise 'Khaan Quest 2025' at…

20 hours ago