Despite their higher education, they were deprived of citizenship and were unable to pursue a profession, business, employment, or seek foreign employment.
What you should know
Samir Khan and Yasmin Begum of Beni Municipality-7 have obtained citizenship in their mother's name after a decade of waiting.
The District Administration Office on Tuesday granted citizenship to Sameer and Yasmin in the name of their mother, Manirja Begum. Sameer had submitted the application for citizenship 11 years ago and Yasmin eight years ago after completing all the procedures from the administration to the Home Ministry.
Assistant Chief District Officer Kul Prasad Acharya said that they were granted citizenship in the name of their mother after the second amendment to the Citizenship Act, 2063 and the fourth amendment to the regulations.
Sameer and Yasmin's mother Manirja is Nepali while her husband Salim Khan is from Kolkata, India. Despite being married 34 years ago, Manirja has been running a beauty business in Beni. Her husband Salim has renounced his Indian citizenship. He said that he had even voted in the elections held in Nepal in 2052 and 2064.
Sameer and Yasmin have their birth certificates in the former Arthunge VDC. Despite their higher education, both of them were deprived of their right to work, do business, and go for foreign employment due to lack of citizenship. They said that they finally felt like citizens after obtaining citizenship.
The provisions of the Citizenship Act 2063 came into effect with the publication of the Nepal Citizenship (Fourth Amendment) Regulations, 2082 in the Gazette. Earlier, on Poush 29, 22-year-old Seema Pun of Malika Rural Municipality-5 Devisthan was granted citizenship in her mother's name for the first time in the district.
