11 Afghan Sikhs to reach India on Sunday, likely to get Indian citizenship

11 Afghan Sikhs including abducted Delhi based Afghan Sikh Nidan Singh, will reach Delhi on Sunday. Hopes are high among the Sikh community that they will get Indian citizenship.

New Delhi: Delhi-based Afghan Sikh, Nidan Singh, who was abducted by terrorists, including 10 others will return to India on Sunday. The 11 Sikhs are hopeful of being granted Indian citizenship, sources said on Saturday.

According to reports, In March 2020, over 25 Afghan Sikhs and an Indian Sikh were killed in Gurdwara Guru Har Rai terror attack in Kabul's Shor Bazaar. Many people were abducted by armed Taliban men and were forced to live in the Gurdwara.

A group of 11 Afghan Sikhs, who were keen to be in India's promised facilitation mission will reach Delhi on this Sunday. The group includes Nidhan Singh Sachdeva who was reportedly kidnapped in Kabul but later rescued by the Afghan security forces, sources added.

Speaking to ETV Bharat, Sachdeva's brother, Charan Singh Sachdeva said," 11 members of Hindu-Sikh community will reach India on Sunday and in this group, my brother Nidhan will also return. A 14-year-old girl had lost her father in the Kabul Gurdwara attack. She was also kidnapped and later rescued. As per the Govt of India guidelines, all returnees will be quarantined for 14 days."

In a video message, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management committee Chief Manjinder Singh Sirsa said," The group of Afghan Hindu-Sikhs will be quarantined in Delhi Gurdwaras. I am thankful to our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and External Affairs minister S.Jaishankar for helping persecuted minorities."

"Govt of India will look into their request of citizenship and more Hindu-Sikh community members will be facilitated to return to India in batches during coming days," Sirsa said.

Reportedly, the Indian government earlier this month said that it will give Afghan Hindus and Sikhs visas and examine Indian citizenship requests.