Sikhs, Hindus 'endangered minorities' in Afghanistan: US

US resolution says that Sikhs and Hindus are indigenous but endangered minorities in Afghanistan, numbering approximately 700 out of a community that recently included over 8,000 members. It also supports resettling Sikhs and Hindus from Afghanistan in the US under the Refugee Admissions Programme pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Washington: Describing Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan as "endangered minorities", a resolution introduced in the US Congress has sought to resettle these persecuted religious communities from the war-torn country to America.

Introduced in the House of Representatives last week by Congresswoman Jackie Speier and co-sponsored by seven others, the resolution supports refugee protection for Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan, noting the "systematic religious persecution, discrimination and existential danger" faced by the members of these communities.

"Sikhs and Hindus are indigenous but endangered minorities in Afghanistan, numbering approximately 700 out of a community that recently included over 8,000 members," the resolution stated.

The resolution supports resettling Sikhs and Hindus from Afghanistan in the US under the United States Refugee Admissions Programme pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Expressing concern for the safety of Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan, the resolution condemned all terrorist attacks, religious persecution and discrimination against members of these communities in the war-ravaged country.

PTI