On Tuesday, unidentified terrorists claiming to be the Suspected Taliban fighters entered Gurdwara Karte Parwan, in Afghanistan capital Kabul, and vandalised the holy shrine . They damaged CCTV cameras and broke several locks, according to members of the Afghan Sikh minority.Moreover, the terrorists also took several people into custody after they barged into the Gurdwara. Visuals of the incident manifest the armed men destroying the holy shrine. After the shocking incident, the local Gurdwara management rushed to the site.
Puneet Singh Chandhok, head of the Indian World Forum, who has played a role in facilitating the evacuation of members of Afghanistan’s Hindu and Sikh minorities, tweeted that armed men had entered the Gurdwara and wrecked it.
A member of the Afghan Sikh minority, Sardar Govind Singh, said in a video posted on social media that the armed men had damaged most of the CCTV cameras at the Gurdwara and broken open several locked doors.
Soon after the Taliban marched into Kabul on August 15, hundreds of members of the Sikh and Hindu minorities had taken refuge in Gurdwara Karte Parwan. Taliban commanders had visited the Gurdwara soon after the takeover of the country and assured Sikh leaders about the safety of members of the community.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa has condemned the Taliban's attack on Kabul's Gurdwara Karte Parwan. "This incident has caused a lot of panic, but the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan has said that they are not involved in the incident. They have refused to send any such officials to Gurdwara," said Sirsa.
Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi condemned the Taliban's attack on Kabul's Gurdwara Karte Parwan. Taking to his official Twitter handle, Channi blamed armed Taliban "officials" for the disgraceful act and insisted the Centre and External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar to discuss the matter on priority at the global level. The Punjab CM also assured that his support is with the Sikh community residing in Afghanistan.
The Karte Parwan Gurdwara, which the Taliban targeted on Tuesday, is located in the northwestern region of Kabul. This is also not the first time that the extremist group attacked Gurdwara. Earlier after the Taliban took Afghanistan, it removed the Sikh holy flag, Nishan Sahib from the roof of a Gurdwara in the Paktia province of Afghanistan before it was reportedly restored. The flag was removed from Gurdwara Thala Sahib which holds huge historical significance because it was visited by the founder of the Sikh religion, Sri Guru Nanak Dev.
With the situation rapidly flagging in Afghanistan, there are still at least 20 Indian nationals stranded in the country now under Taliban control, including 140 Afghan Sikhs, awaiting evacuation. India had stopped all commercial flight operations to Kabul post August 15, 2021. Taliban’s Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has written to the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation), requesting the government to resume commercial flights to Kabul in Afghanistan. The letter is currently under review by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and no tangible comeback has come from their side. The Indian government is not taking any concrete efforts for the stability and security of the Sikhs. They have been left on their own to die.
The life of Afghani Sikhs and Sikhs worldwide seem to be an Episode of squid games, for the governments and the Goodwill organisations. All seem to be nonchalant about the same. Just because the hostages aren't entitled with an influential surname , neither the media nor the governments seem to gain interest in their lives stuck in a fragile environment as it wouldn't make a head line.