Mumbai: On Monday, a Pakistani national was given Indian citizenship 52 years after he came to India. The manager of a restaurant in Mahim, the man was given formal Indian citizenship by the central government. The man was informed about the same. The representative of the central government, Advocate Deepak Thakare informed the bench that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had decided to grant Indian citizenship to Asif Abbas Karadia. The bench was led by justice AS Oka and Justice MS Sanklecha.

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According to the Source report, Abbas, Asif's father was born in Gujarat in 1945. Abbas' wife was a Pakistani national who joined his company after marriage. Abbas' wife went to Karachi and gave birth to Asif. She gave up her citizenship and passport few months after Asif's birth.  Asif's lawyer, Sujay Kantawala said even though Asif was born to a Pakistani national, he never felt the need to acquire Indian citizenship. Long-term visas helped Asif in staying in the country. Documents like ration card, voter's identity card, PAN card and Aadhar Card were issued to Asif like any other individual.

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Here it is to be noted that Asif applied for a passport in 2012 when he wanted to go for a Hajj Pilgrimage. His first application was rejected by the Ministry of External Affairs because he was not an Indian citizen. Following this, Asif applied for an Indian citizenship seven times but was rejected constantly. The authorities stopped renewing his long-term visa, which prompted him to approach the high court. Everyone in Asif's family, except for him is an Indian citizen. The lawyer even asked the court to ask the MHA to plead for the citizenship. The MHA eventually accepted the plea and gave him citizenship.