With several hundred Pakistani Hindus arriving in India following alleged persecution, the government today said they will get long-term visas to stay in the country if they apply under stipulated rules.
"So far, no one has applied for long-term visa.
Basically, we have norms for the long-term visa. If theyapply under them, they will get it," Union Home Secretary R K Singh toldPTI here.
He was replying to a question on the possibility of Indiagranting long-term visas to those Pakistani Hindus who have come to the countryin last few days.
Most of these people have come on a month-long visaostensibly for pilgrimage and many of them have reportedly expressed theirdesire not to go back to Pakistan.
Almost all Pakistani Hindus, before leaving that country,had to give an undertaking to the authorities there that they would not seekasylum from the Indian government and that they would return to Pakistan within30 days.
Head of such a group, Anup Kumar had alleged that Hindufamilies were not safe in Pakistan, since kidnapping of young Hindu girls andbrides by fundamentalists at gunpoint had become a routine affair.
He did not rule out the possibility that majority of thecommunity members would never like to go back to Pakistan under the prevailing circumstances.
