New Delhi, Nov. 7 -- Only 11,272 foreign nationals in India possess Aadhaar cards, according to data shared by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in response to a query from Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale. Gokhale shared the information on X, posting a copy of UIDAI CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar's reply to his letter seeking the number of Aadhaar cards issued to foreign nationals. "I wrote to UIDAI asking how many Aadhaar cards in India have been issued to foreign nationals. The answer: only 11,272," Gokhale said. The TMC leader questioned Union home minister Amit Shah's previous remarks that a large number of foreign migrants in India had Aadhaar cards. "If UIDAI knows that only 11,272 foreigners have Aadhaar, it is clear that the rest are Indian citizens. In that case, why is the Election Commission of India (ECI) claiming that Aadhaar cannot be accepted as proof of citizenship?" he asked. The Election Commission had earlier excluded Aadhaar from its list of documents for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, citing that it was not proof of citizenship. The Supreme Court later directed that Aadhaar be included as one of the acceptable documents. UIDAI clarified that under the Aadhaar Act, 2016, foreign nationals who have lived in India for at least 182 days in the preceding 12 months can apply for Aadhaar. Such Aadhaar numbers are issued under the "resident foreigners" category and remain valid for the duration of the visa. Overseas Citizens of India receive Aadhaar cards valid for ten years....