Second batch of Afghan Hindus and Sikhs land in Delhi

After a long wait, the second batch of Hindus and Sikhs from Afghanistan landed in New Delhi. The group was facing persecution at the hands of the Pakistan-backed Taliban. The community expressed its gratitude to Home Minister Amit Shah for making the visas available.

New Delhi:The second batch 48 members of minuscule Hindu and Sikh communities from Afghanistan, who have been facing persecution at the hands of Pakistan-backed Taliban, landed in New Delhi in a special flight facilitated by the Government of India. The batch consisting of women and children also includes family members of Sikhs who lost their lives in a terrorist attack on Gurudwara Har Rai at Shor Bazar of Kabul in March.

The group has been granted short-term visas by the Indian Embassy in Kabul. As per the latest Covid-19 protocols of the government of India, these Afghan citizens will be quarantined. The arrangements for stay and resettlement of the second batch is done by Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) and the air tickets funded by NGO.

National spokesperson, Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD), Manjinder Singh Sirsa in a statement said," DSGMC is thankful to the govt of India for helping and arranging the stay for us. We were facing persecution in Afghanistan. We are very grateful to Union Home Minister Amit Shah for ensuring that we get visas on time. We are also indebted to Harsimrat Kaur Badal for taking up the issue. An atmosphere of fear prevails in Afghanistan.”

It was in July that Union govt had started facilitating Afghan Hindus and Sikhs visa and now, as per the latest reports, their requests for Indian citizenship will also be considered.

READ: 'Atmosphere of fear in Afghanistan,' say first batch of Sikhs to arrive in India

The repatriation process was immediately initiated by the Indian Government after perturbing reports of rampant security threats, human rights violations, and decimated on the minority communities surfaced.

The first batch of 11 Afghan Sikhs reached New Delhi on July 26. Among the repatriates, included 60-year-old Delhi-based Sikh Nidan Singh Sachdeva and 16-year-old Sunmeet Kaur, who were kidnapped by terrorists there and was later rescued by security agencies. The other members included families of Afghan Sikhs who were killed in Kabul Gurudwara terror attack.

Months after the Citizenship Amendment Act(CAA) came into force, the Indian Sikhs welcomed the first batch. At least 600 Hindu and Sikhs of Afghan nationality are in touch with Embassy of India in Kabul and are seeking their return to India. India is facilitating the entire process of returning of Afghan Hindu and Sikh community members facing security threats in Afghanistan and extended a helping hand despite the ongoing pandemic.

With ANI inputs