'Pakistani Hindus Will Now...' Ex-Pak Cricketer Danish Kaneria Throws His Weight Behind CAA In India

Former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria has come out in support of the Indian government notifying the rules for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), paving the way for granting of citizenship to people of certain faiths facing persecution in neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.

Though the notified rules related to refugees who have moved to India before 2015, Kaneria hailed it as good for all Pakistani Hindus.

"Pakistani Hindus will now be able to breathe in open air #CAA," Kaneria said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. In a separate tweet, he also thanked PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for implementing CAA.

Leg-spinner Kaneria, the second Hindu cricketer to represent Pakistan after his cousin Anil Dalpat and who got embroiled in match-fixing towards the end of his career, is a big supporter of the Indian government's announcement of bringing in CAA.

What is CAA?

The Union Home Ministry on Monday notified the rules for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), paving the way for granting of citizenship to people of certain faiths facing persecution in neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan and having moved to India before 2015.

"Those immigrants qualifying for citizenship under CAA will have to submit applications in an online mode, for which a web portal has been created," an MHA spokesperson said.

The CAA was an integral part of the BJP's 2019 Lok Sabha polls manifesto. The law will enable the granting of citizenship to people of non-Muslim faiths, mainly Hindus, Sikhs, Jain, Buddhist, and Parsi communities, who had migrated to India before December 31, 2014, from neighbouring nations because of religious persecution.

Kaneria represented Pakistan in international cricket between 2000 and 2010. He played 61 Test matches for Pakistan and took 261 wickets at an average of 34.79. The leg-spinner played 18 ODIs for Pakistan and claimed 15 wickets and 1,023 victims in 206 First-Class matches, bagging 71 five-wicket hauls and 10-wicket hauls on 12 occasions.