An Afghan woman, who came to India after fleeing from a repressive Taliban regime, has finally become a naturalised Indian citizen.

For Waz Devi Sachdeva, who lives in Delhi's Tilak Nagar, the last 14 years have been long and hard.

She was forced to flee Kabul with her family when the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 1992.

Leaving behind her home and property, she arrived in India as a refugee, seeking asylum.

"It has been very difficult. I have washed utensils, done sweeping to get through the difficult times," she said.

Time consuming process

But fortunately, political refugees like Waz Devi do get refugee status from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which then allows them to apply for naturalised citizenship in India.

Waz is the first Afghan refugee to be given naturalised citizenship, which confers all rights an Indian citizen has. But the process takes time and money and costs Rs 15,000.

There are about 9,700 Afghan refugees registered with the UNHCR in the capital, of which 8,000 are Sikhs and Hindus of Indian descent.

Many of those who have applied for naturalised citizenship, say there are huge bureaucratic delays.

"This process takes over 2-3 years. Files keep collecting dust and don't get forwarded," said Manohar Singh, President, Khalsa Dewan.

Helping hand

Given the delays, some organisations in the capital have stepped in to help Afghan refugees become Indian citizens.

"It is a long and tedious process, and takes an average time of two to three years. The problem is, there is no single window for clearance," said Ragini Trakroo, Human Rights Law Network.

Waz Devi has a family of 10 members, and so far only four have been given naturalised citizenship. Hopefully, with various human rights organisations stepping in, the process will be simpler.