AMRITSAR: With the return of Talibans in Afghanistan, families of Hindu and Sikhs are sensing danger and eager to leave the nation but not willing to come to India at any cost.
A Kabul based, a local Sikh businessman Manmeet Singh (name changed) said , “ No doubt the Taliban took control of Afghanistan on Sunday evening after making rapid advances through the country amid the withdrawal of foreign troops and by today (Tuesday) the Taliban had taken over full control of the capital”.
“We would never seek asylum in India due to our past bitter experience. Since many Sikh families who had come to India when suicide bomber attacked killed more than 19 people including 10 Sikhs in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad in 2018. Many had gone to India with the hope that they would move further Canada but got stuck there as remained unable to set up their business in India. Now they are neither Afghans nor Indian citizens. These Hindu and Sikh families had left Afghan after leaving their huge property, shops and lands behind abandoned and nothing was done for them by any of the Indian based Sikh organization”, he quipped.
Adding further he said, We will definitely prefer to go to Canada or the US if these countries extend help to Afghan Sikh and Hindus. These two countries are already helping a lot of Afghan people who settled over there in the past".
Talking about the current situation in Afghanistan he said, “Kabul wich taliban ka poora qabza Or 60 percent bazaar khol choke. M aj gaya tha Qarib 4 ghante tha shop m Or pehle ki trah sab normal tha (Taliban took over full control in Kabul and sixty percent market is opened today. Today, I went to my shop for four hours and things remained normal as usual).
He said, “ Presently there are Total 270 member Sikhs community of 35 families and fifty members of Hindu community are living in Kabul based Gurdwara ‘Karte Parwar’ where today Taliban leaders visited, assured that they can go home without any fear and gave assurance of their safety in Kabul”.
“Hindu and Sikh families who had sought refuge in the gurdwara were residents of Kabul with the apprehension that they are no longer safe in their homes”, said he.
Talking about the viral video of people falling from the flying plane, he said, “Three Kabul residents who were trying to leave the country by climbing next to one of the tires of the wing of an American plane, badly fell on the rooftop of local residents. They lost their lives due to the terrible conditions in Kabul, but now the situation is rapidly improving since Taliban leaders are moving with caution and with a kind heart.