Mumbai, September 10: The Maharashtra government issued certificates of citizenship to 23 persons who hailed, originally, from Pakistan, a state government release said on Tuesday. These people had migrated to India several years ago and were staying in the country on long-term visa.

"They were born in Pakistan's Punjab and Sindh provinces and had migrated to India...after Partition. They were living here on long-term visa in Jalgaon, Aurangabad, Amravati and Kolhapur (in Maharashtra). Most of them are from Sindhi and Sikh communities," Maharashtra minister of state for home Deepak Kesarkar told PTI. 44 Pakistani Migrants Granted Indian Citizenship in Rajasthan.

"The certificates of citizenship were issued to them after clearance from the Union government. This was the fourth round of such grant of citizenship in the state," he added.