They Chose Pakistan — But at What Price?

Shazia Mehboob

Islamabad: As many as 34 foreign nationals acquired Pakistani citizenship during the first eight months of 2025, and all of them were Indian nationals. 

Records from the Passport and Emigration Office in Islamabad, shared on condition of anonymity, reveal that out of 255 foreigners granted Pakistani nationality between 2019 and August 2025, 195 were Indian citizens.

Of these, an overwhelming 195 were Indian citizens, making them the largest group of foreigners to be naturalized in recent years. 

In 2019, 55 individuals acquired Pakistani nationality, including 40 Indians. The following year, 41 foreigners were naturalized, of whom 34 were Indian. The trend persisted in 2021, with 27 new citizens—22 of them Indian—and in 2022, when 27 more were granted nationality, including 18 Indians.

The numbers remained steady in 2023, with 21 naturalizations, including 16 Indian nationals. In 2024, the figures rose sharply, with 50 people granted citizenship—31 of them Indians.

The most recent data showed another significant increase, with 34 individuals naturalized, all of whom were Indian nationals. By contrast, only smaller numbers of Afghans and Indonesians received citizenship during the same period.

The Cost of Endless Rivalries

For many of these migrants, however, the journey to legal recognition has not been without sacrifice. In pursuit of Pakistani or Indian nationality, they often forfeit their roots, distance themselves from families, and sever connections with the countries where they were born.

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In Sialkot, police have taken a 35-year-old Indian national, Sohail*, into custody for overstaying his visa. A source familiar with the case told this correspondent that Sohail*  had come to Pakistan on a visit visa to be with his Pakistani wife. The couple was trying to obtain a visa for a third country to live together, but during this process, his legal stay expired, leading to his arrest.

Sohail’s case is not unique. Each year, hundreds of individuals in both the countries find themselves caught in the strict visa and immigration process due to tense relations between Pakistan and India. 

Details of Sohail’s personal struggle remain unclear, as his wife declined to speak about their ordeal following her husband’s arrest. Yet, sources close to the family revealed that the couple’s union was a love marriage and that they had been exploring options to secure citizenship abroad—hoping this would resolve their uncertain status as “illegal immigrants.”

A long-history of suffering 

“Choosing to take Pakistani citizenship was not an easy decision,” said Tanveerul Hassan, a nearly seventy-year-old who migrated to Pakistan from Indian-occupied Kashmir around two decades back. While he now enjoys the rights and privileges of being a Pakistani citizen, he said the pain of leaving behind his family and heritage remains a deep, unhealed wound.

Hassan said that since leaving his hometown in Indian-occupied Kashmir, he has never been able to meet his mother, siblings, or other relatives. “The internet is shut down, and phone calls are strictly monitored by the Indian armed forces,” he explained. “But that’s not all—my family remains under constant surveillance. If I even tried to meet my mother in another country, they could be deported or subjected to the brutality of Indian forces.”

Just a few days ago, Hassan lost his mother forever—she passed away with the unfulfilled wish of seeing her son one last time, the son she had been separated from since the 1990s. “If I had gone back to occupied Kashmir, I would have been killed — the Indian army targets Kashmiris like me,” Hassan said.

Politics Divided Them Forever

According to human rights activists, decades of hostility between India and Pakistan have torn thousands of families apart. Noted human rights activist Ansar Burney while talking to Nukta said that innocent people are being victimized amid the ongoing political tensions between India and Pakistan. Burney emphasized that whenever the two governments attempt to undermine each other, it is the ordinary citizens who ultimately bear the brunt.

Immigrants’ Hardship on Indian Side

The case of Kubra Gillani from Muzaffarabad surfaced after she shared a video message online following her divorce from her husband in Indian Occupied Kashmir in 2019. Since then, she has repeatedly tried to return home, but her efforts have failed, leaving her separated and stranded.

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Gillani is among more than 200 women and children from Pakistan who crossed the Line of Control with their husbands under India’s 2011 “surrender policy” for former fighters. However, India has refused to grant them citizenship.

Pakistani human rights activist Ansar Burney said he had written to the Governor of Indian-held Kashmir, urging that these women be allowed either to return home permanently or at least to visit their families. He added that while India refuses to grant them citizenship, leaving them in limbo and without a place to call home.

Citizenship Wars: Who Belongs Where?

Naveed*(name has changed) stated that for residents of Indian-occupied Kashmir, acquiring Pakistani citizenship is relatively easier than for Pakistani citizens seeking Indian citizenship. He explained that the Indian government has a policy of revoking the citizenship of anyone whose parents were Pakistani nationals.

Citing a personal example, he said that his wife, a former Indian citizen, had her passport revoked by Indian authorities solely because she moved to Pakistan after marriage. “This harsh policy has separated thousands from their loved ones,” he added, “leaving people in a painful limbo.”

The Price of Belonging

“My roots, my identity lie in occupied-Kashmir—but I’ve lost everything: my family, my relatives, the land of my birth. What is our fault? Why must Kashmiris suffer this lifelong separation?” asked Hassan.

Naseem Begum* (name changed), a Kashmiri woman living for the past many years in Pakistan, was unable to visit her family in Indian-occupied Kashmir after the Pulwama attack. Despite repeated efforts to obtain a visa to see her ailing mother, she was denied. Her mother passed away now, she deplored. 

Love Crossed Borders, But Citizenship Didn’t

Advocate Misbah Kiyani, a High Court lawyer stated that Pakistan’s immigration policy is undeniably strict. She emphasized that obtaining permanent citizenship is extremely difficult, while securing even temporary residency remains a complex and demanding process.

Citing a case study, Misbah Kiyani shared the example of a UK national of Bangladeshi origin who applied for Pakistani citizenship after marrying a Pakistani citizen and wishing to settle in the country with her husband. Although she met the eligibility criteria, the process was excessively prolonged and caused her significant mental distress.

Immigration expert Kiyani further explained that while citizens of a few friendly countries, such as China and Azerbaijan, may find the process relatively easier, obtaining Pakistani nationality remains an extremely difficult and complex task for individuals from countries on Pakistan’s restricted list, including India and Afghanistan.