LAHORE: In an unusual story of reverse migration, an American family that voluntarily moved to Pakistan and decided to raise its children here has approached the Lahore High Court (LHC), alleging prolonged delays in grant of citizenship to its Lahore-born children.

Alex Mason Hill, a white American, embraced Islam at the hands of a Pakistani Muslim scholar in the United States and decided to relocate to Pakistan in 2021 along with his wife.

Hill was given Islamic name, Abdul Qadir Sani Jillani. He has four children, two of whom – Ashik Ahmad Jillani, 4, and Ali Nur Jillani, 2, – were born in Lahore.

The American family living in Pakistan on valid visas, subsequently, decided to seek Pakistani citizenship for their children under Section 4 of the Pakistan Citizenship Act, which grants citizenship by birth to persons born in Pakistan.

The applications were submitted to the authorities concerned in May 2025, but the family claims no decision was made despite the passage of several months.

After receiving no response, they served legal notices through their counsel and eventually approached the high court.

On Oct 6, 2025, the LHC directed the Punjab home secretary to decide the matter in accordance with law within six weeks.

However, Hill alleges that the matter remained unresolved as the home department referred the case to the federal interior ministry, which subsequently returned it.

The case was then forwarded to the Lahore district administration, resulting in further delays.

Claiming that more than a year passed without a final decision, the children’s father has now filed a contempt of court petition in the LHC, contending that the earlier directions have not been implemented.

He seeks contempt proceedings against the authorities for the alleged violation of the order.

During a recent hearing, the court issued notices to the Punjab home secretary, deputy commissioner Lahore and others on the contempt petition and sought their replies.

Advocate Umer Ijaz Gilani, the counsel for the petitioner, said the American family’s decision to settle in Pakistan and seek citizenship for their Pakistan-born children presented a positive image of the country.

He said, “In a world where the enemies of Islam and Pakistan systematically painted us in a negative light, this story is nothing short of a miracle.”

However, he said, the Punjab bureaucracy has been trying its best to convert this miracle into a debacle.

He urged Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to take direct notice of the situation. He said the story of the American family should be celebrated as it represents an opportunity for advocating Pakistan’s national pride, but the insolent bureaucracy is bent on wasting it.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2026