A Christian senior citizen from Pakistan, now living in Goa, received an Indian citizenship certificate on Wednesday under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The certificate was presented by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
Joseph Francis A. Pereira, currently residing in Cansaulim, South Goa, is the first person in the state to obtain Indian citizenship through the CAA. In an interview with ANI, Joseph expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for enacting 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 applicant for citizenship, as his wife was already an Indian citizen. He explained, “I went to Pakistan in 1960 for my education and later worked in Bahrain for 37 years. After retiring in 2013, I came to Goa and have been living here with my family since then. There are many Goans in Pakistan, but I haven’t visited there since 1979. It was tough during my school years in Pakistan due to the lack of job opportunities.”
His wife, Martha Pereira, also spoke to ANI, mentioning that they had been trying to obtain citizenship since their marriage but faced many obstacles. “Since we got married, we have been applying, but nothing was working out. We applied through the CAA in June this year. Without the CAA, there would have been many hurdles,” she said. “I am thankful for whatever is happening in our case,” she added.
On this occasion, Goa CM Pramod Sawant stated that granting citizenship under the CAA is a matter of pride. “I thank the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. Those who were in Pakistan or elsewhere have been seeking citizenship for nearly 60 years. Now, after the law has been passed, we are able to provide it, and it is a matter of pride for us,” he said.
The Citizenship Amendment Act allows Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Christians, Parsis, and Buddhists from neighboring countries (Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan) who entered India before December 31, 2014, to apply for citizenship after proper verification.