SGPC To Evacuate 55 More Afghan Sikhs Including 14 Children To India Today
After arriving in India, they will then travel to Gurdwara Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji in K Block, New Mahavir Nagar.
As part of initiatives to evacuate vulnerable minorities from Afghanistan, at least 38 people, 14 children, and 3 babies are expected to arrive at the airport in New Delhi on Sunday, news agency ANI reported.
According to the Rajya Sabha MP, the Ministry of External Affairs had already awarded this "final batch" of refugees e-visas, and their homecoming had been assisted by both the Indian and Afghan governments.
The Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandak Committee is assisting the exodus of marginalised minorities from the Islamic country in collaboration with the Indian World Forum and the Indian Government.
The Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandak Committee (SGPC) has scheduled a special aircraft number 315 from Amritsar to land at Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport in the nation's capital today.
Since the attack on the Gurudwara Karte Parwan in Kabul, 68 Afghan Hindus and Sikhs have come. The same airfare is being paid for by SGPC.
On August 3, a commercial flight operated by Kam Air from Kabul brought at least 30 Afghan Sikhs, including children and newborns, to Delhi.
The largest private Afghan airline, Kam Air, evacuated 21 Afghan Sikhs, including a baby, from Kabul to New Delhi on July 14.
Following the political shift in Kabul, the Indian World Forum organised and assisted the humanitarian evacuation of more than 300 Afghan Hindus and Sikhs.
Approximately 700 Hindus and Sikhs lived in Afghanistan in 2020, but many of them emigrated when the Taliban seized power on August 15, 2021.
Assistance with rehabilitation will be provided by the World Punjabi Organization, headed by Padam Shri Vikramjit Singh Sahney.
43 Hindus and Sikhs are still present in Afghanistan as of this writing, while nine visa requests are still awaiting approval from the Indian government.
There are still four Sri Guru Granth Sahib Saroop in Afghanistan. According to religious procedure, the same could not be moved to India due to a lack of cooperation from the local Kabul government.
By covering their travel expenses, SGPC helps minorities in Afghanistan.
Sikhs have recently been the target of a wave of assaults in Afghanistan.
About 50 people were killed when the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) stormed the Karte Parwan Gurdwara in Kabul on June 18 of this year.
In October last year, 15 to 20 militants stormed a Gurdwara in Kabul's Kart-e-Parwan District and tied up the guards.
In March 2020, a fatal attack occurred at the Sri Guru Har Rai Sahib Gurudwara in Kabul's Short Bazaar district, killing 27 Sikhs and injuring numerous more. Terrorists affiliated with the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.
(With Inputs From ANI)
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