Fleeing Taliban, 30 Afghan Sikhs, including kids, to arrive in India

New Delhi: As religious persecution in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan worsens, a group of 30 Afghan Sikhs, including children and infants, are scheduled to arrive in India on Wednesday, reported news agency ANI.

Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) is coordinating the evacuation with the Government of India and the India World Forum, according to the news agency.

The Kam Air non-scheduled commercial flight from Kabul is expected to land at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) stated that after 30 Afghan Sikhs arrive, the entire group will depart for Gurdwara Sri Guru Arjan Dev in Tilak Nagar of the national capital.

Previously, the largest private Afghan airline, Kam Air, evacuated 21 Afghan Sikhs, including an infant, from Kabul to New Delhi. 32 Hindus and Sikhs from Afghanistan have been evacuated over the previous month.

Religious minorities, including the Sikh community, have consistently been the victims of violence after Taliban seized power in Afghanistan. About 50 people were killed when the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) attacked the Karte Parwan Gurdwara in Kabul on June 18 of this year.

A horrific attack at the Sri Guru Har Rai Sahib Gurudwara in Kabul's Short Bazaar neighbourhood in March 2020 resulted in the deaths of 27 Sikhs and the injuries of several others. Terrorists from the Islamic State have claimed responsibility for the attack, as per news agency ANI.

Around 700 Hindus and Sikhs lived in Afghanistan in 2020, but several of them left after the Taliban took power on August 15, 2021. 110 Afghan Hindus and Sikhs are still residing in Afghanistan and 61 e-visa applications are awaiting to be processed by the Indian government.

(With inputs from agencies)

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