Sindhi Migrants From Pakistan in Pune To Cast First Votes In Indian Elections

Pune District sees a surge in citizenship grants to refugees from Pakistan and Bangladesh, reflecting growing diversity in voter demographics.

30 April 2024

By Payoshi Bisht

Over 150 Sindhis who migrated from Pakistan will cast their votes for the first time in the fourth phase of the ongoing elections which is set to take place on 13th May in the Maval constituency. These migrants have been residing in the Pimpri-Chinchwad area of Pune. 

They were offered Indian citizenship by the Pune district collector in 2021. After that, they registered their names on the voters list and are eagerly looking forward to casting their votes this year. Dipak Panjwani is a 45-year-old floor tiles dealer and resident of Pimpri who moved to India in 2004 from Pakistan. In 2021, he obtained his Indian citizenship. He resides with his spouse, son and daughter. He explains that he is a proud citizen of the country and is ready to exercise his vote in the upcoming elections. 

A 52-year-old hardware shop owner from Pimpri, Kanhaiyalal Kataria, who moved to India 15 years ago from Pakistan, obtained his Indian citizenship in 2020 and resides with his wife and 4 children. He further added that he and his wife had always been passive citizens of the country, partaking in politics virtually, but this time they will get the opportunity to become active citizens of the country by casting their vote. 

Kataria also expressed her gratitude to Sunil Keswani, the director of the Sindhi Sujag Manch, and the Pune district administration, who jointly assist Sindhi families who have migrated from Pakistan to acquire Indian citizenship. According to the statistics, around 300 to 400 Pakistani-migrated Sindhis living in Pimpri are beneficiaries of Indian citizenship and are looking forward to casting their first vote in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections of 2024. 

According to the data given by the district administration, at least 248 refugees from Pakistan and Bangladesh, mostly Hindus, were granted Indian citizenship by Pune district authorities from 2016 to 2022. Pune district collectorate reported in 2016 that about 20 refugees from Pakistan were granted citizenship and in 2018, about 41 refugees were granted citizenship; in 2019, about 24 were given citizenship; in 2020, about 18 were granted citizenship; and in 2021, 80 were granted citizenship, and up to July 2022, around 31 were granted citizenship.