Pakistani Christian Joseph Francis Pereira becomes 1st in Goa to receive Indian citizenship under CAA (WATCH)

Despite being married to a Goan lady, the chief minister said that Pereira had difficulty obtaining Indian citizenship until the Citizenship Act, 1955 was changed by the central government, which was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

First Published Aug 28, 2024, 2:56 PM IST | Last Updated Aug 28, 2024, 2:56 PM IST

A 78-year-old Pakistani Christian received his Indian citizenship certificate on Wednesday from Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who made him the first individual from the coastal state to do so under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Joseph Francis Pereira went from Goa to Pakistan for studies before liberation and subsequently took up a job there. He attained Pakistani citizenship and lived in Karachi before returning to India in 2013.

Despite being married to a Goan lady, the chief minister said that Pereira had difficulty obtaining Indian citizenship until the Citizenship Act, 1955 was changed by the central government, which was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the presence of State Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte, he presented Pereira with the certificate.

The CAA was enacted in December 2019 to grant Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. These include Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians.

Government documents show that Pereira, who was born in 1946, entered India on September 11, 2013, following his retirement. He is married to Maria from the coastal state. Pereira, who was born in South Goa’s Paroda village, currently lives with his family in Cansualim, inside the same district.

Pereira is the first Goan to receive this certificate, according to CM Sawant, but many Indians have taken advantage of the CAA change to obtain Indian nationality. According to him, the CAA allows many Goans to get citizenship in a comparable manner.

As per the certificate, Pereira has been registered as a Citizen of India under the Provisions of Section 6 B and fulfilling the conditions under section 5 (1)(c) of the Citizenship Act, 1955 with effect from the date of entering India. Sawant said that the Goa Home Department has begun surveying such people. “If anyone is eligible for the certificate, they can contact the government,” he added.

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