India offers lifelong visa to Pakistani singer Salma Agha

Pakistani-British singer and actress Salma Agha will be receiving an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card that will offer her multiple entry, multi-purpose life long visa to visit India and exemption from reporting to police.

According to media reports, a senior home ministry official of India said: "We have decided to grant Salma Agha the OCI card after following the due procedure."

As India's home ministry took the decision to grant her OCI card, the Nikaah actress also met Indian home minister Rajnath Singh to express her gratitude for the gesture, reports Images.

Agha had reportedly applied for the OCI card a few days ago and her application was approved after taking into consideration various aspects, officials said. The 59-year-old artist is a citizen of United Kingdom.

As per rules, a foreign national who is a child, grandchild or a great grandchild of Indian citizen is eligible for registration as OCI card holder. There are few other conditions to get OCI card, said the report.

However, no person, who or either of whose parents, grandparents or great grandparents is or had been a citizen of Pakistan and Bangladesh shall be eligible for registration as an OCI card holder, according to Images' report.

Agha, in her request, is said to have claimed that though she was born in Pakistan, she is a British citizen and hence, her request should be looked into.

Among others who have been staying in India and working on employment visa are Katrina Kaif (UK citizen), Deepti Naval (US citizen) and Yana Gupta (Czech citizen).

Salma Agha was quoted to have added that she receives a lot of love and adulation from India, adding that she could have become Indian citizen anytime as her forefathers hail from Punjab’s Amritsar city.