Islamabad, (Samajweekly) The Pakistan Interior Ministry has granted Pakistani citizenship to 214 foreigners during the last five years over multiple reasons, including marriage, family relationships among others, media reports said on Sunday.
As per official documents, 214 foreigners were granted Pakistani citizenship in the last five years, Samaa TV reported.
As per documents, these included as many as 159 Indians, it said.
The documents reveal two Indians got Pakistani nationality last month, while 55 were granted nationality in 2019, 43 in 2018, 27 each in 2020 and 2021, and 18 last year.
They also revealed that there were thousands of applications still pending with the ministry for approval, Samaa TV reported.
The citizenship was granted due to marriages, family relationship, professions or were living in Pakistan for long, officials said.
The documents further revealed that Pakistani authorities granted citizenship to four Afghans in 2022, one in 2021, three in 2020, two in 2019, and one in 2018.
Three Chinese citizens were also granted Pakistani nationality in the past five years, while four Bangladeshis, one Italian, one Swiss, three Americans, two Canadians and four British nationals got Pakistani nationality during this period.
Over 20 nationals of Burma, Philippine, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal also got Pakistani nationality in the same period, Samaa TV reported.
