Afghanistan: Taliban Appeal Hindus & Sikhs To Return, Claim Security Issues 'Solved'

The claim comes amid Director General of the Office of the Minister of State of the Taliban, Dr Mullah Abdul Wasi meeting members of the Hindu and Sikh Council of Afghanistan recently.

Taliban has appealed to minorities including Hindus and Sikhs to return to the country claiming that the security situation in Afghanistan has been solved. The claim comes amid Director General of the Office of the Minister of State of the Taliban, Dr Mullah Abdul Wasi meeting with a number of members of the Hindu and Sikh Council on July 24, according to the post by the Office of Chief of Staff, Afghanistan on Twitter, reported news aegncy ANI.

In his meeting with a delegation of Hindu and Sikh leaders in Kabul, Wasi said all Indian and Sikh compatriots who left the country because of security problems can now return to Afghanistan as security has been established in the country.

Going by the Taliban release, Sikh leaders also thanked the Taliban for averting the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) attack on Gurdwara in Kabul, reported news agency ANI.

Series of attacks on minority religious institutions

Religious minorities in Afghanistan, including the Sikh community, have remained targets of violence in the Islamic state.

On June 18, Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) attacked Karte Parwan Gurdwara in Kabul that left two people dead including a Sikh.

Nearly 25 to 30 people were inside the gurdwara complex for morning prayers when the attackers entered the premises, according to the sources. At the time of attack only 10-15 people managed to escape but the gurdwara's guard, identified as Ahmad, was killed by the assailants.

In October 2021, 15 to 20 terrorists who entered a Gurdwara the Kart-e-Parwan District of Kabul had tied up the guards.

In March 2020, a deadly attack at Sri Guru Har Rai Sahib Gurudwara in Kabul's Short Bazaar area left 27 Sikhs dead injuring several others. Islamic State terrorists claimed responsibility for the attack.

On the other hand, the Taliban-led Afghanistan government has decided to repair Gurdwara Karte Parwan in Kabul that suffered damage in a terror attack.

A high-level delegation from the Ministry of Interior (MoI) also visited the Gurdwara to condole with families of the victims, according to the sources.

A technical team was also assigned to assess the level of damage caused to the last remaining functioning Sikh Gurdwara in the capital city. It is revealed that the government will spend a sum of 7.5 million Afghani to renovate the building.