Pakistani Child Brides Who Came to India on the Thar Express Dream of a Brighter Future for Their Children

From Pakistan to India: 158 Refugees Receive Citizenship in Gujarat, Hope for a New Beginning

For years, they lived with uncertainty, social stigma and the struggle to build a life in a new country. On Tuesday, 158 refugees in Ahmedabad received Indian citizenship certificates, marking a significant milestone for families who migrated from Pakistan in search of safety, dignity and a better future.

Among them was 31-year-old Rajnandini, also known as Saavi, a single mother of three who arrived in India from Karachi in 2008. Her journey has been marked by personal loss, financial hardship and the determination to raise her children in a place she now calls home.

Rajnandini received her citizenship certificate at an event in Ahmedabad, where Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi acknowledged her from the stage. According to an official release, 126 beneficiaries received citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), while another 32 obtained citizenship through the district collector’s office.

An amendment to the CAA empowered designated collectors to grant citizenship in seven states and Union Territories.

‘I Never Thought of Returning to Pakistan’

Rajnandini said that when she first arrived in India with a group of around 50 to 60 people from Karachi, many viewed the migrants with suspicion because of their Pakistani origins.

“People used to look upon us with suspicion. They say we have come from Pakistan and could be terrorists. Nobody would rent us a house and we spent many rainy days without a roof over our heads,” she recalled.

Her difficulties deepened when her husband, Rajendra, also known as Babur, died of COVID-19 during the pandemic. With no other relatives in India, some people advised her to return to Pakistan, where her parents, eight sisters and three brothers continue to live in Karachi’s Chanesar Goth neighbourhood.

But Rajnandini refused to leave. She continued working as a seamstress while bringing up her three children.

“I never thought of going back to Pakistan. Because however bad things appear to be here, there are worse things across the border… I don’t want to ruin the lives of my children by going back to Karachi,” she said.

For her, Indian citizenship represents not just legal recognition but also the chance to secure a more stable future for her children.

Poonam Gihara Awaits Citizenship After Years of Struggle

Another migrant, 35-year-old Poonam Gihara, attended the Ahmedabad event with her 22-year-old daughter, Kesar, and son-in-law, Rohan, hoping to receive Indian citizenship.

Poonam originally lived on Kali Road, now known as Hali Road, in Hyderabad, Pakistan’s Sindh province. She migrated to India in 2013 with a group of around 70 people, most of them members of her extended family. Some of her relatives had moved to India in 2008.

Her journey included travelling on the Thar Express, which connected Bhagat Ki Kothi railway station in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, with Karachi Cantonment railway station in Pakistan. The service operated from 2006 until 2019.

After crossing the border at Munabao in Rajasthan, the family travelled to Jodhpur and then stayed at a gurdwara in Delhi for a week before eventually settling in Ahmedabad.

Poonam said that she and her family continued to face taunts because of their Pakistani origins, even after settling in India.

“We faced a lot of taunts and still do, even today. Even children have no qualms in calling us Pakistani on our faces. We try to avoid it, instead of fighting over it,” she said.

Asked whether Indian citizenship would change people’s attitudes towards them, she responded that they did not need to prove themselves to anyone.

Childhoods Marked by Early Marriage and Restrictions

Rajnandini and her close friend Saraswati, also known as Kanwal, share similar childhood experiences. Both women belong to the Gihara Rajput community, a nomadic group originating in Rajasthan, many members of which settled in Sindh after Partition.

The two women said they had already been married when they migrated to India in 2008, at the age of 13.

They described a childhood in which families often arranged marriages for girls at an early age, believing it would protect them from unwanted attention as they grew older.

Rajnandini said she was married at 12. Her eldest daughter is now 17, leaving only a 14-year age difference between them. Saraswati’s eldest child, a son, is 14.

Poonam also married young, at 15, and has four children.

The women said girls in their neighbourhoods faced significant restrictions, including limited opportunities to attend school or move around independently.

Recalling Fear and Insecurity in Karachi

Rajnandini described persistent harassment and violence affecting Hindu women in parts of Karachi, including incidents of alleged abductions and sexual violence.

She said gang violence, threats at gunpoint and clashes involving police were part of everyday life in her neighbourhood.

Saraswati recalled that women were expected to cover their faces when going outside. Families would sometimes lock girls in a room when plumbers, electricians or other workers visited their homes, releasing them only after the workers had left.

Fear of abduction also prevented many girls from attending school. Families who could afford it arranged private tuition instead.

The women explained that many people in their community used both Hindu and Muslim-sounding names, which they said helped them avoid discrimination.

The restrictions also affected the education of younger family members. Poonam’s daughter, Kesar, studied only until Class 5 before dropping out. Poonam said her daughter had faced bullying over her Hindu faith in Pakistan, while migration and repeated disruptions made it difficult for her to continue her education in India.

‘We Could Drink Tea in the Open’

The women described a dramatic change in their daily lives after moving to Ahmedabad.

Rajnandini recalled feeling confined during her childhood in Karachi, where girls often depended on male family members to carry out everyday tasks.

In Ahmedabad, she said, the freedom to walk outside, play in the rain, run behind cows and visit roadside shops became a source of happiness.

“Just eating noodles in a wayside shop used to feel so novel for us,” she said, describing how ordinary activities that many people take for granted represented freedom to her.

Rajnandini added that her sisters in Pakistan also wanted to move to India but faced difficulties obtaining visas and lacked the financial resources needed to pursue the process.

A Young Athlete’s Dream of Representing India

Among the families receiving citizenship certificates was that of Hariram Kachchhi, whose daughter Dharasindhu has overcome serious medical challenges to become a promising athlete.

Hariram’s wife, Baghan, was six months pregnant when the couple travelled from Sangar in Sindh to India on the Thar Express in March 2013, accompanied by 25 others.

After arriving in Gujarat’s Anand district, Baghan went into labour at seven-and-a-half months of pregnancy. Dharasindhu was born weighing just 830 grams and spent 21 days in a neonatal intensive care unit.

Hariram said doctors had advised the family to take the baby home after her condition became critical. His elder brother, a paediatrician who had migrated to India in 2011, helped care for her.

Although Dharasindhu survived, she faced multiple disabilities. She initially could not walk, see or hear. Her eyesight subsequently improved, and she learned to walk, but hearing loss persisted.

She has reported hearing loss of 70% in her left ear and 56% in her right ear. Despite these challenges, she went on to compete in table tennis at the state level and later took up junior floor hockey.

Now that she has reached the national level, her family hopes she will be inducted into the Gujarat team. Hariram said obtaining a domicile certificate, for which citizenship is required in her case, is an important step towards that goal.

He expressed hope that his daughter would one day represent India in floor hockey.

Citizenship Brings Hope for a Secure Future

The 158 citizenship certificates issued in Ahmedabad represent more than an administrative milestone for the beneficiaries. For families who have spent years rebuilding their lives after migration, citizenship offers legal recognition and the opportunity to plan for the future with greater certainty.

For Rajnandini, it means continuing to raise her children in the country she chose as home. For Poonam and her family, it represents the hope of being accepted without the stigma attached to their origins. And for Dharasindhu, it could help bring her closer to her dream of representing Gujarat and India in sport.

Their experiences highlight the varied challenges faced by migrants from Pakistan, including displacement, discrimination, disrupted education and the long wait for citizenship.

As these families begin a new chapter, their hopes extend beyond official documents: they seek security, dignity, opportunity and a future in which their children can pursue their ambitions without the uncertainties that shaped their own lives.