Cong leader demands immediate evacuation of Sikhs, Hindus from Afghanistan

Shergill said that according to information available in the public domain around 650 Sikhs and 50 Hindus are stuck in war-torn Afghanistan and there is a risk to their lives from the Taliban.

Congress leader Jaiveer Shergill on Monday urged Union minister for external affairs S Jaishankar to immediately evacuate Hindus and Sikhs from conflict-ridden Afghanistan. “As you are more than aware, the Taliban offensive has escalated in Afghanistan, post-US withdrawal of troops, and they are fighting at gunpoint to turn the country, once again into a hub for transnational terrorism,” Shergill wrote in his letter to Jaishankar, according to news agency PTI.

A Taliban flag flies in the main square of Kunduz city after fighting between Taliban and Afghan security forces, in Kunduz, Afghanistan. (AP Photo)

The Congress leader said that his demand for the immediate evacuation came due to his love for the people of Indian origin. He said that the ongoing violence has caused a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan leading to the loss of lives, including those of people of Indian origin in Afghanistan. Shergill also highlighted that Taliban terrorists recently removed the Nishan Sahib from a gurdwara in Paktia. He also cited the deaths of 25 Sikhs during an attack on Gurdwara Har Rai Sahib in Kabul and the deaths of 19 Sikhs and Hindus during a suicide attack in Jalalabad in 2018.

Shergill said that according to information available in the public domain around 650 Sikhs and 50 Hindus are stuck in war-torn Afghanistan and there is a risk to their lives from the Taliban. “These people, fearing for their lives, have appealed to the Government of India for their immediate evacuation,” Shergill added.

The withdrawal of US and Nato troops has led to the resurgence of Taliban-led violence in Afghanistan. Despite being a stakeholder in the Afghan peace deal, the Taliban terrorists have used violent means to take control of major cities and provinces of Afghanistan. The United States conducted a few airstrikes last week but the nation remains committed to the target of withdrawal of all troops by August 31.