635 foreigners given Pakistani citizenship in recent years: Interior Ministry

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Interior on Friday released a report underlining details of foreigners who have been given the citizenship of Pakistan in the recent years.

In the last year years, as many as 635 foreigners were given the citizenship of Pakistan, the Interior Ministry said.

It said the decision on 150 applications of foreigners was yet to be taken.

The report highlighted that 461 Indians were among those acquiring Pakistani citizenship in the recent times.

Similarly, 43 people from Afghanistan, 22 from Sri Lanka, 15 from United Kingdom, 10 from United States, 14 from Bangladesh and 12 from Philippines got the citizenship of Pakistan.

The report further states that four each people Canada, Japan and Egypt became naturalized Pakistanis.

It may be noted here Prime Minister Imran Khan in September last year had announced that Afghans and Bengalis living in the country for many decades would be issued National Identity Cards and passports, which would effectively make them formal citizens of Pakistan.

In February, Prime Minister Khan issued directives for the opening of bank accounts of the Afghan refugees, who are registered in the country

Pakistan is one of the largest refugee-hosting nations in the world, home to an estimated 2.4 million registered and undocumented people who have fled Afghanistan, some as far back as the Soviet invasion of 1979.