New Delhi, 17th August 2021: People in Punjab are worried after the change of power in Afghanistan and the hegemony of Taliban. Sikh and Hindu families from many places including Punjab and Delhi are stuck there. More than 300 Sikh and Hindu families have taken refuge in the Gurdwara in Kabul. All of them are safe, but are worried about the changed situation there.
Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee President Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that more than 300 Sikh and Hindu families living in Afghanistan are taking shelter in the Gurdwara in Kabul. Sirsa also said that he had a discussion with the managers of the Gurdwara committee in Kabul. He has been told that about 320 families have reached Kabul from Ghazni and Jalalabad.
He said that after the occupation of Afghanistan by the Taliban, there is a lot of panic among the Sikh and Hindu families living there. Of these 320 families, about 50 are Hindu and 270 are Sikh families. All these families are safe in the Gurudwara of Kabul. He also told that some representatives of the Taliban had come to the Gurdwara to investigate the families who were taking shelter. The Taliban representatives have also assured the Kabul Gurdwara’s managers that no harm will be done to the families living there.
On the other hand, Advocate HS Dhami, Chief Secretary, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, said that the SGPC has not been able to have any contact with the Sikh families of Afghanistan. If Sikh families come to India from there, then SGPC has made all arrangements in its institutions for their living.
On the other hand, Paramjit Singh Sarna, former chairman of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, said that the central government should bring Sikh and Hindu families living in Afghanistan to India in talks with the Taliban representatives. He said that if the Taliban allows, then these families should reach Pakistan. From there, all will be brought to India by contacting the Government of India and Pakistan on behalf of the Delhi Akali Dal.
The National President of All India Hindu Mahasabha, Rajyashree Chaudhary, has sent a letter to the Central Government, appealing that in view of the delicate situation in Afghanistan, arrangements should be made to bring the Hindus and Sikhs living there to India. His organization will help these families in every way in India.