Af Hindu, Sikhs meet Ram Madhav, seek intervention

Ambala:

Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee

(DSGMC) former president

Manjit Singh GK

took a group of

Afghan Hindus

and Sikhs to Ram Madhav of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) national executive in Delhi on Saturday.

Apart from GK, who is now president of

Jagat Asra Guru Ott

(JAGO) party, the delegation included Afghan-origin Partap Singh, president of Gurdwara Sri Guru Arjan Dev, Mahavir Nagar, New Delhi, Guljeet Singh, president of Gurdwara Sri Guru Nanak Sahib, Vikaspuri, New Delhi, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (IRA) senator Anarkali Kaur Honaryar, IRA deputy of Minority Development Council Manjit Singh Lamba, and some Delhi-based Afghan Sikhs and Hindus.

Ram Madhav, who is on the governors’ board of India Foundation, tweeted on Saturday about the meeting from his verified handle @rammadhav_rss: "Met a delegation led by Manjeet Singh GK... Anarkali Honaryar, former MP from Afghanistan n Narinder Singh Khalsa in Delhi today. They apprised me of the challenges the Sikh and Hindu refugees from Afghanistan face and sought intervention."

Guljeet Singh told TOI: "Ram Madhav promised to get the Afghan Hindus and Sikhs all support from the Indian government. Some Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan wish to come to India as pilgrims on the 400th Parkash Purb of Guru Tegh Bahadur and we are in regular touch with them." About the community’s concerns in Afghanistan, Guljeet Singh said: "Until the situation normalises, the Hindus and Sikhs of Afghanistan will live in danger, since it is hard to separate the Taliban from regular Afghans. Somebody might use the name of Taliban for hate crime."

He also said: "The Taliban aren’t letting the Afghan nationals leave the country. The Afghan Sikhs had planned to visit India six months before Parkash Pur and visas were arranged for all those interested in travelling. The Taliban say they will allow this pilgrimage to those with valid passports and visas but there is no international flight out of Kabul because the state of its airport since the American withdrawal.

The Kabul airport resumed operations on Friday only and the pilgrims now hope for flights to India. They will be free to stay in India or return to Afghanistan. "The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and the DSGMC have promised to rehabilitate the Afghan Sikhs if they stay in India. The government has also promised support in bringing them over.

Guljeet Singh said: “Out of the Afghan Hindus and Sikhs, 45 will stay back in Afghanistan to take care of the Gurasthans (gurdwaras) and shrines in Ghazni, Jalalabad, and Kabul.” GK said: “With Ram Madhav, we discussed how to help the Sikhs and Hindus left in Afghanistan, the CAA (Citizenship (Amendment) Act) rules that are yet to be formed, and demand for a separate policy for the Afghans staying here with passport for a long time. We want the Centre and the states to coordinate and give us a single-window for clearing formalities.” Asked what Ram Madhav had promised him, GK said: “He said the need for evacuation proved that the situation was serious.”

On the attitude of the Taliban, GK said: "They said they will allow the pilgrims to visit India, while we seek a colony for the poor Afghan Sikhs who will travel to Delhi." DSGMC president Manjinder Singh Sirsa said: “They (GK’s delegation) should have avoided this (meeting about rehabilitation), as they (the RSS) have no stake in it except just for photo-op. We can’t endanger the lives of Afghan Sikhs by uploading these pictures and talking rehabilitation.”


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