30,000 non-Muslims from B'desh, Pak, Afghanistan staying in India on long-term visa

New Delhi, Jan 8: Over 30,000 non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan are staying in India on long-term visa, Union minister Kiren Rijiju told Parliament on Tuesday.

Replying to a written question in the Lok Sabha, he said in the absence of any authentic survey, the accurate data of the Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians who came from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan and settled in various parts of India including Assam by December 31, 2014 was not available.

"However, as per available information, more than 30,000 persons belonging to such minority communities in these countries are staying in India on long-term visa," the Minister of State for Home Affairs added.

The Lok Sabha passed a bill on Tuesday, seeking to grant Indian citizenship to the Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians who had come to the country from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan by December 31, 2014.

The bill provides for Indian citizenship to such people after six years of stay in the country, instead of 12 years.