Key Takeaways
• 22 women with Pakistani citizenship lived decades in Moradabad, holding valid long-term visas but not Indian citizenship.
• Their families number over 500, sparking new debates about cross-border marriages, citizenship policy, and security reviews.
• Children born in India are citizens; the women’s naturalization applications are pending as authorities investigate document access and security.
Moradabad, a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, recently came into the spotlight when local authorities discovered a group of 22 women with Pakistani 🇵🇰 citizenship living there for several decades. This group, along with two Pakistani men, has brought renewed attention to issues of cross-border migration, family settlement, and how countries handle long-term residents who remain foreign nationals. The story goes much deeper than a simple case of migration; it has important implications for citizenship policy, national security, and the daily realities of hundreds of people who now call Moradabad home.
Who Are the 22 Women with Pakistani Citizenship in Moradabad?
Most of the 22 women with Pakistani 🇵🇰 citizenship entered India 🇮🇳 after marrying Indian men. For years, they have quietly lived their lives in Moradabad, forming families that have grown large in number. Many of these women arrived several decades ago, suggesting that their integration into local society has been a long and ongoing process. Their residence was uncovered as part of a new nationwide review—triggered by recent terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir—that focused on all foreign nationals in India, especially those from Pakistan 🇵🇰.
These women have not hidden their status, nor have they been living unlawfully. Each holds a valid long-term visa that allows residence in India. However, despite years or even decades here, none of the women have become Indian citizens. Their applications for naturalization are still pending.
The Scale of the Families: 95 Children and 500 Relatives
One of the most striking facts from the authorities’ findings is the size of these families. Collectively, the 22 women and their spouses have 95 children. Many of these children are now adults and have married, expanding the family tree even further. In fact, around 35% of these women have now become grandmothers. Including children and grandchildren, the number of people in these extended families is now more than 500.
These numbers highlight a unique pattern caused by international marriages and decades of residence: a small group of immigrants has, over time, become the nucleus of a large local community. For Moradabad, this is far from typical. The case sheds light on the unexpected ways that migration and marriage across borders can shape the makeup of Indian society in subtle, long-term ways.
Status of Children and the Question of Citizenship
The citizenship question is at the center of this story. While the 22 women remain Pakistani 🇵🇰 citizens, all children born to them in India are Indian citizens by birth. This is in line with Indian nationality law, which recognizes children born in the country—unless both parents are foreign diplomats or considered “enemy aliens” at the time of their birth—as Indian citizens. Over decades, this law has allowed the families to publicly and lawfully settle in Moradabad.
Even though the women’s own applications for Indian citizenship have not yet been resolved, many of their descendants are fully recognized as Indian nationals. This difference in legal status within families is not only an administrative challenge but also a source of emotional stress. It raises questions about feelings of belonging, legal identity, and what it means to be part of a community when citizenship is split across generations.
If you wish to learn more about India’s rules on citizenship, the official website of India’s Ministry of Home Affairs provides up-to-date official information on eligibility, required documents, and application steps.
The Documents They Carry: Long-Term Visas, Ration Cards, Aadhaar
Despite not being Indian citizens, all 22 women hold official documents that help them live day-to-day in Moradabad. Each has an Indian government-issued ration card and an Aadhaar card. The ration card allows holders to receive food and support under the national public distribution system. Aadhaar is a unique identification number recognized across the country.
These documents are not the same as citizenship, but they are often required for essential services. Their use by long-term residents has become a major topic in public debate, as the lines between permanent migrants and citizens can sometimes feel blurred. The case from Moradabad brings this issue into sharp focus. The authorities are now reviewing how foreign nationals can have such documents without being citizens, and whether rules need changing to clear up confusion.
Being able to access welfare schemes and identification services—even without citizenship—reflects India’s policy of allowing long-term visa holders to participate in society. Still, with the rising spotlight on issues of security and legal status, local and national authorities may choose to rethink or clarify these arrangements.
Why Security Concerns Came To The Fore
The main reason this story has attracted so much attention is timing. The case was discovered during a nationwide review after a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. This event made officials look much more closely at foreign nationals—especially those from Pakistan 🇵🇰—who have lived in India for some time.
Authorities say that although the 22 women and their families mostly appear to be well-settled and integrated in Moradabad, there are reasons for added caution. Because these women are still foreign citizens, their presence in a large, close-knit network could, in theory, pose risks if not carefully monitored. The local police and security agencies are currently investigating the backgrounds of every family member to make sure there are no hidden links or threats.
So far, there is no public evidence or specific accusation against these women beyond their continued foreign national status. The scrutiny, officials say, is a matter of due diligence at a time of heightened alert, not an assumption of guilt.
How Big Is the Issue? Broader Impacts and Questions
This discovery has stirred up larger questions about policy and social realities in India 🇮🇳. Here’s why the story matters beyond Moradabad:
- Civic Integration: The case shows that people can live for decades in a foreign country, become deeply rooted through family ties, and yet not have formal citizenship.
- Policy Gaps: The gap between having legal documents (like an Aadhaar card) and being a citizen can cause confusion. Should India make the path to citizenship clearer, or tighten rules on who can access documents and welfare?
- Security Balancing Act: In the era of global terrorism, even peaceful, long-term residents can face scrutiny if their legal status is unclear or linked to a neighbor nation with tense relations.
- Cross-Border Marriages: The families in question formed because of marriages between citizens of India 🇮🇳 and Pakistan 🇵🇰. Cases like these show how personal lives can cross national boundaries even as legal and political lines stay strong.
Analysis from VisaVerge.com suggests that the issues faced by these 22 women—and their Indian-born children—are not rare in border areas where cross-national marriages are more common. Across the country, similar situations can be found, though most do not involve families of this size.
The Ongoing Review
Local law enforcement in Moradabad continues to investigate the women, their families, and even their possessions of government-issued documents. The investigation aims to do three things: first, rule out any security threats; second, better understand how so many foreign nationals acquired ration cards and Aadhaar numbers; and third, provide recommendations for future cases so similar confusion does not arise again.
The Moradabad Police have been clear that every family member’s background will be checked. Officials are also reviewing applications for Indian citizenship from long-term residents, but this process is often slow and requires checks at several levels.
The Citizenship Process for Pakistani Nationals
For people from Pakistan 🇵🇰 who wish to become Indian citizens, the legal journey is a long one. There is a special process for foreign nationals from neighboring countries, especially Pakistan 🇵🇰, Bangladesh 🇧🇩, and Afghanistan 🇦🇫, who have come to India on valid visas. These individuals can apply for citizenship through naturalization, which usually takes years and includes background checks, proof of residence, and references from local authorities.
In the case of Moradabad, all applications from the 22 women for Indian citizenship are still pending. This wait is especially long for Pakistani nationals because of past tense relations between the two countries and the need for careful security checks. As the investigation proceeds, both local authorities and central government agencies will need to decide if the process should be speeded up or kept as it is.
The official citizenship application form (Form II) for foreign nationals can be accessed on India’s Ministry of Home Affairs website, which spells out the requirements and steps involved.
The Human Face: Daily Life and Challenges
Behind the headlines, this case is about ordinary people making a life for themselves. The 22 women with Pakistani 🇵🇰 citizenship are not faceless numbers. Many have raised families, sent children to local schools, and seen their grandchildren grow up in Moradabad. They attend community events, celebrate festivals, and, for all practical purposes, are part of the city’s social fabric.
However, the lack of citizenship means they face many problems. They cannot vote in Indian elections, they cannot freely own certain types of property, and, in some cases, they cannot travel as easily as citizens. Each family likely feels the tension between being accepted by neighbors and being “on hold” in the eyes of the law.
Children and grandchildren, who are Indian by birth, face less legal uncertainty. Still, the split status within families adds emotional stress and can make even everyday activities more complicated, especially during times of security checks or official investigations.
Administrative, Legal, and Social Challenges
This case makes clear the need for systems that balance national security with fairness and clarity. Some key questions raised by local and national authorities, as well as by families themselves, include:
- Documentation vs. Citizenship: Should having an Aadhaar or ration card be possible for non-citizens? Does this make it too easy for outsiders to blend in, or is it necessary for humane treatment of long-term residents?
- Marriage and Family Ties: When citizens marry foreign nationals, should the process for spouses to settle and naturalize be made easier? Or do security concerns require more checks?
- Local Integration: What can be done so that children born in India do not face delays or confusion about their rights, even as their parents await naturalization?
What’s Next for the 22 Women and Their Families?
For now, the 22 women with Pakistani 🇵🇰 citizenship and their families must wait for the results of the police investigation and for their citizenship applications to be reviewed. If all paperwork is in order and no links to crime or security threats are found, it is possible that the women may, one day, become citizens themselves.
Meanwhile, the case continues to prompt debate about how countries should manage long-term residents from countries with which there are political and security tensions. It also acts as a reminder that, behind each case, are real families whose lives are being shaped by bureaucracy, social ties, and the unpredictability of international politics.
Conclusion
The discovery of 22 women with Pakistani 🇵🇰 citizenship and their large families living in Moradabad provides a rare look into the realities of cross-border marriages, long-term migration, and citizenship policy in India 🇮🇳. The case stands at the meeting point of law, security, family, and daily life. It raises important questions about how a country decides who truly “belongs,” and how to balance the needs of people with the demands of national security.
For more information on citizenship, legal status, and official procedures in India, you can visit the Ministry of Home Affairs citizenship page.
As the investigation continues, many in Moradabad, and across the country, will be closely watching the outcome—hoping for answers that bring both safety and a sense of justice for everyone involved.
Learn Today
Long-term visa → A type of official permission allowing extended legal residence in India without granting citizenship or all associated rights.
Naturalization → The legal process by which a foreign national applies for and can potentially acquire citizenship of another country.
Aadhaar card → A unique identification number issued by the Indian government for residents, giving access to key services and benefits.
Ration card → A government-issued document in India that entitles holders to buy subsidized food and other essentials under public distribution.
Enemy alien → A legal term for nationals of a country regarded as hostile, who face restrictions or different treatment under law.
This Article in a Nutshell
Moradabad’s 22 Pakistani women highlight India’s complex intersection of citizenship, security, and family life. Though long-term legal residents with Indian husbands, their pending citizenship and large, integrated families raise questions about cross-border migration, documentation, and national policy. The ongoing investigation will shape future approaches to residency, welfare, and inclusion.
— By VisaVerge.com
