Aatish Taseer, author and Modi critic, becomes US citizen

Author and columnist Aatish Taseer announced on Monday that he had become a US citizen. Aatish Taseer, a commentator on contemporary Indian politics, had made headlines in May last year when he wrote the cover article for an issue of TIME magazine, which had the title 'India's divider in chief' describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Aatish Taseer, who held British citizenship, is the son of late Pakistani politician Salman Taseer and Indian journalist Tavleen Singh. Salman Taseer was assassinated in 2011 when he was governor of Punjab province in Pakistan. Aatish Taseer grew up in India. He obtained a US Green Card in 2016.

The Time magazine issue, published before the Parliamentary election, triggered considerable debate in India and led to criticism of Aatish Taseer by the BJP.

In November last year, the Indian government revoked Aatish Taseer's Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card on the grounds he allegedly concealed the fact his late father was of Pakistani origin. Aatish Taseer denied the government’s contention and instead linked the move to his criticism of the Modi government.

In a tweet on his attainment of US citizenship on Monday, Aatish Taseer referred to the revocation of his OCI card. Aatish Taseer tweeted, "Some news: at an oath-taking ceremony today in lower Manhattan, I became a US citizen. Less than a year after the Modi govt stripped me of my status in India, it is amazing to be part of this great country. I hope to vote in Nov—my first time!—for the bigheartedness I saw today."

In an interview to THE WEEK, Aatish Taseer had said "I don't think I can live here [India]."“I think India is going to be a place where a certain kind of English-speaking person of my background will have a harder and harder time. But to be gay, to be Muslim, I am at too sharp an angle to it,” Aatish Taseer had said.