Bengaluru, 19 Dec

The Karnataka High Court has directed the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) to actively consider a fresh citizenship application from a Pakistani national residing in India, and complete the process before the expiry of her long-term visa.

The petitioner, Nighat Yasmeen, who is married to an Indian citizen, Mohammed Younus, and is the mother of two children who are Indian citizens, approached the court after alleging that her earlier requests for citizenship were not taken up by authorities.

The court, on December 18, acknowledged that recent changes in visa policy following the India-Pakistan conflict had affected how applications from Pakistani nationals were processed, especially with the introduction of the e-FRRO portal requirement.

Justice Suraj Govindaraj observed that Yasmeen has complied with this requirement, but her case still awaits proper consideration.

The judge clarified that although a government order had suspended visa services for Pakistani nationals, holders of valid long-term visas remain protected from deportation or coercive actions during processing.

The court permitted Yasmeen to withdraw multiple pending applications and file a consolidated one, while directing the authorities to process it within a fixed timeframe once filed.

The direction aims to ensure that her application is handled under existing laws and timelines, taking into account her family ties in India.