NMC to hold tests for persecuted minorities from Pak

New Delhi: The National Medical Commission has formed a group of experts to frame guidelines for a proposed exam to allow medical graduates from persecuted minorities who migrated from Pakistan and got Indian citizenship to acquire permanent registration for practising medicine in India. The move comes as a ray of hope for many doctors who after migrating from Pakistan are not able to practice medicine in India legally.

For decades, many people belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Christian minority groups from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have migrated to India and sought citizenship. The Ministry of Home Affairs had informed Parliament during its winter session in 2021 that 8,244 citizenship applications were received from non-muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan of which 3,117 were granted citizenship.

Significantly, Parliament has passed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in 2019 which facilitates granting of Indian citizenship to persecuted nonmuslim minorities of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. However, the law has not been implemented as rules under CAA are yet to be framed.