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.