Asif Karadia, a 51-year-old who has been living in Mumbai since he was two-years-old, could be deported to Pakistan, after the High Court said on Wednesday that it could not take a decision on his petition requesting that he be regarded an Indian citizen.
According to a Times of India report, Asif filed the petition in Bombay High Court after the police sent him a notice in June asking him to produce a Pakistani passport or face deportation.
Asif, in his petition, said that while he was born in Pakistan, his parents were Indians and so are his wife and three children. He also said that he has all important documents, such as PAN, Aadhar, voter ID, ration card and a domicile certificate.
He was born in Pakistan, where his mother, a naturalised Indian originally from Pakistan, went for her delivery in 1965. In 2012, Asif had applied for an Indian passport when he wanted to go on the Haj.
However, the authorities rejected his application and instead asked him to apply for a long-term visa. He has had this long-term visa extended twice, which was valid until last December.
“We never thought this would become such a big issue. Asif has never been to Pakistan again and doesn't want citizenship of that country,” Abbas, father of Asif, was quoted by Times of India as saying.
The court denied him interim relief and posted the case to January 17. It also asked Asif’s lawyer how he was granted an Indian visa when he did not have a Pakistani passport.
