Former Pakistani singer Adnan Sami is all set to be granted Indian citizenship.
The decision came after Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi gave a positive opinion to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) regarding the matter, reports The Hindu.
Sami will be given Indian citizenship under Section 6 of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955.
The Lahore-born artist first arrived in India on March 13, 2001, on a visitor’s visa with the validity of one year, which was issued by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
Sami was allowed to stay in India for an indefinite period following his appeal to authorities in New Delhi to legalise his stay on humanitarian grounds after his Pakistani passport expired. He was exempted from proceedings under Section 3 of the Foreigners Act.
In May this year, the MHA granted him the right to stay in India indefinitely on humanitarian grounds after his Pakistani passport expired the same month.
While in 2009 Sami’s wife filed a case of cheating and cruelty against him, the court did not let that impact their decision, saying: “The criminal case filed against him was also taken into account, and we came to the conclusion that it was a civil case, which shouldn’t come in the way of our decision,” said the official.
Recently, Sami was quoted saying: “I have heard people in Pakistan are not very happy with this news and are burning my effigies. But I’m happy that I have finally found my home.”
Read : Singer Adnan Sami can stay ‘indefinitely’ in India
This article originally appeared in TheHindu
