Joint Secretary overseeing the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran desk at the Ministry of External Affairs, visited Kabul and held discussions with ‘Foreign Minister’ Amir Khan Muttaqi.
In a further effort to engage with India, the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan are undertaking initiatives to return private land to Hindu and Sikh minorities. As reported by media agents earlier, these properties are being reclaimed from warlords associated with the previous Western-backed regime.
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It is to be noted that this initiative represents an important stride in addressing the injustices experienced by religious minorities in Afghanistan, who have endured displacement and marginalization for an extended period, according to a Taliban official.
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Diaspora Returning
Indian officials view this development as a positive gesture towards India. A notable development is the return of Narender Singh Khalsa, a Member of Parliament representing the Hindu and Sikh communities, who recently came back to Afghanistan from Canada.
Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen said, “A commission chaired by the Minister of Justice has been established to return to their owners all properties which had been usurped by warlords during the former regime.”
Shaheen highlighted the return of Narendar Singh Khalsa, a former member of the dissolved Afghan parliament following the Taliban’s assumption of power in August 2021.
Following the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan, a significant number of Sikhs and Hindus fled the country, including Narender Singh Khalsa, who was among the first group evacuated by the Indian Air Force in August 2021.
According to the Netherlands-based Afghan commentator Sangar Paykhar, Narender Singh Khalsa who had taken refuge in Canada returned to Afghanistan following an initiative by the Contact Commission with Afghan personalities. According to Mr. Paykhar, the return of Mr. Khalsa and his family signaled, “a warm welcome for displaced leaders of religious minorities seeking to return to their homeland.”
A Brief History
Mr. Khalsa is the son of Awtar Singh Khalsa, a notable member of Afghan Sikh community who was killed in a suicide attack in 2018 when he was campaigning to become a member of Parliament. The attack was claimed by fighters of the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP) who subsequently carried out a number of attacks on minorities in Afghanistan including the 2022 attack on a Gurudwara in Kabul in which several Sikhs were killed.
Conditions became so difficult that the last two ‘swaroops’ of the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib were taken from Kabul to Delhi in January 2023. Most of these incidents were blamed upon the ISKP, which is understandably positioning itself as a challenger to the Taliban.
A large number of Sikhs and Hindus left Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover which overthrew the government of President Ashraf Ghani. Narender Singh Khalsa was among the initial bunch of people who were evacuated by the Indian Air Force in August 2021.
He and other members of the Sikh community were given the means to reside in Delhi though he subsequently left for Canada. India has not recognised the Taliban government in Kabul as de facto rulers though there are signs that the two sides have broken ice.
Conclusion
The Hindu and Sikh communities have long been integral parts of Afghanistan’s demographic landscape, historically constituting around 1% of its population. However, the exodus of these communities commenced in the late 1970s and the 1980s amidst political upheaval and the Soviet invasion that engulfed Afghanistan.
