Born in Hyderabad’s Rainbow Hospital, Baby Mirza-Malik, who’s now been named Izhaan, will indeed be an Indian citizen like his mother Sania. According to Deputy Passport Officer Subodh Kumar, the newborn’s parents will have to register his name with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to make him eligible to receive a passport from the Indian Government.
In an exclusive telephonic conversation, the officer tells us, “A child having parents of two different nationalities used to automatically get an Indian passport if he or she was born in India. But the rules have changed. Now, the child’s name has to be registered with the Ministry of Home Affairs to get an Indian passport.”
This also means that Izhaan will not be able to share his father Shoaib Malik’s nationality or hold dual-citizenship. “No Indian can hold the passport of any other country,” Subodh Kumar confirms.
Though Pakistan does have dual-nationality agreements with a few countries, India doesn’t feature on that list.
Malik’s mother welcomes the new arrival
Shoaib’s mother Sultana Malik is ecstatic at the birth of her grandson. Speaking exclusively to us from Sialkot, she says, “I spoke to her (Sania Mirza) and expressed our feelings about the new arrival. We wanted a son and we are very happy.”
And though she has no idea when she will be able to see her grandson in person, she’s currently happy seeing photographs of him.
