Civil groups seek asylum for migrants

Demanding a legal policy for refugees in the country, Patriotic People's Front Assam (PPFA), a civil society group, urged the Centre to grant 'refugee status', instead of citizenship, to persecuted religious minorities of Bangladesh and Pakistan who sought shelter in India. " The Centre must urge the authorities in the respective countries to diplomatically help the refugees return," said PPFA secretary Rupam Barua. A PPFA statement said India had officially been supporting nearly half a million asylum-seekers from Tibet, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, among others. tnn