Pakistan-Born Gets Indian Citizenship After 30 Years of Living in Nagpur
Nagpur, India: Kamla Gattu, originally from Karachi, was granted Indian citizenship last week, marking the end of 30 years spent living in India on a long-term visa. A Telugu by ethnicity, Kamla’s path to citizenship reflects the complex realities of migration, partition, and identity, particularly for those who navigate between two cultures yet find a true sense of belonging in one.
Her journey stands apart from many immigrants applying for citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Nagpur. While many of those from Sindh seek refuge through the CAA, Kamla secured her citizenship through naturalisation, a process that required over 12 years of residence in India.
Kamla's story also brings attention to the often-overlooked community of Telugu who settled in Sindh during British rule and continued living there after partition. Her family, which had lived in Karachi since the 1930s, originally migrated from the Telugu-speaking regions of undivided India. Her move to India in the 1990s represents a personal journey that intertwines with the broader narrative of migration and cultural ties.
