With Sikhs practically extinct in Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, India’s case as a natural homeland deserves a revisit
2 years, 3 months ago

With Sikhs practically extinct in Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, India’s case as a natural homeland deserves a revisit

Firstpost  

If they can’t come back to India which was once the land of their ancestors, then where do they go? As 55 Hindus and Sikhs landed in New Delhi on a special flight from Afghanistan this week, the plight of persecuted minorities in India’s neighbourhood once again came to the fore. These Hindus and Sikhs are one of the very last lot of persecuted minorities who have been provided with visa assistance from the Indian government to help them escape from the torture in Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan. While India has always been a home to persecuted people worldwide with Parsis, Jews and even Tibetans finding a safe refuge in India, the case of religious minorities is a different one. The fact that the Sikhs weren’t allowed to carry their scriptures by the current Taliban government to India and the fact that Sikhs will soon be an extinct minority in Afghanistan should revive the case for India as a natural homeland for them.

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History of this topic

India-Canada Standoff: A Clash of Identity and Immigration
2 months, 2 weeks ago

India-Canada Standoff: A Clash of Identity and Immigration

Live Mint  

The India-Canada breakdown is a reminder that crude identity politics and clumsy statecraft can derail even the most important of partnerships. The recent expulsion of Indian diplomats by Canada, in response to the allegations of a campaign of violent intimidation against dissident Sikhs in Canada, underscores the perils of this approach. The crisis stems from a movement to carve out …

The CAA, Muslim exclusion and the lens of the right
9 months, 2 weeks ago

The CAA, Muslim exclusion and the lens of the right

The Hindu  

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while speaking at a conclave recently, gave two reasons, during the discussion, for the exclusion of Muslims from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh in the recently implemented Citizenship Act, 2019. If the Hindu right seeks to justify Muslim exclusion owing to Partition, it needs to be blamed for deliberately failing to appreciate the resistance that Muslims …

The Khalistan issue: All you wanted know about
1 year, 3 months ago

The Khalistan issue: All you wanted know about

The Hindu  

Published : Sep 27, 2023 18:18 IST - 2 MINS READ India and Canada have long maintained a bilateral relationship built on shared values, including democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau subsequently accused India of involvement in Nijjar’s murder, a claim India vehemently denied, dismissing it as “absurd”. The Khalistan issue highlights the …

India, at UN, is mum about dispute with Canada over Sikh separatist leader's killing
1 year, 3 months ago

India, at UN, is mum about dispute with Canada over Sikh separatist leader's killing

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy India's top diplomat steered clear …

India-Canada tensions shine light on complexities of Sikh activism in the diaspora
1 year, 3 months ago

India-Canada tensions shine light on complexities of Sikh activism in the diaspora

Associated Press  

The shocking accusation this week by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that India may have been behind the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia has raised several complex questions about the nature of Sikh activism in the North American diaspora. “Sikh sovereignty means having your independent, autonomous state where you have total control of the state’s resources,” …

India-Canada tensions shine light on complexities of Sikh activism in the diaspora
1 year, 3 months ago

India-Canada tensions shine light on complexities of Sikh activism in the diaspora

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The debate over support for …

A Year on, Denial of Visas to Muslim Afghans Depleting India’s Limited Goodwill
1 year, 6 months ago

A Year on, Denial of Visas to Muslim Afghans Depleting India’s Limited Goodwill

The Quint  

Besides professing love and concern for ordinary Afghans in every official statement -- even as we refuse them visas simply because they are Muslims -- New Delhi persistently claims that it enjoys enormous goodwill among Afghans. Consider this: India’s role in Afghanistan from 1979 to August 2021, spanning 42 long years, has directly impacted common Afghans and shaped their perception …

'Sometimes we politicise everything, but this is a matter of humanity': Jaishankar after meeting Afghan Sikhs
1 year, 7 months ago

'Sometimes we politicise everything, but this is a matter of humanity': Jaishankar after meeting Afghan Sikhs

India TV News  

Delhi: A year after hundreds of Sikhs were repatriated from the war-ravaged nation- Afghanistan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, assured them to get full assistance from the Indian government-- whether in getting citizenship or proper schooling for children. Please, do not politics everything: Jaishanakr Further, when asked about opposition parties criticising some of the steps taken by the government, the …

Hindus, Sikhs, Christians frequently attacked in Pakistan: India at UN
1 year, 10 months ago

Hindus, Sikhs, Christians frequently attacked in Pakistan: India at UN

India Today  

India has accused Pakistan of once again choosing to misuse the UN forum for its malicious propaganda against New Delhi. In its Right of Reply in response to a statement delivered by Pakistan at the UN Human Rights Council, India said: "Pak's representative has once again chosen to misuse august forum for its malicious propaganda against India". Students, doctors, engineers, …

Escape from the Taliban: How India evacuated 55 Sikhs from Afghanistan
2 years, 3 months ago

Escape from the Taliban: How India evacuated 55 Sikhs from Afghanistan

Firstpost  

The evacuated Sikhs came to India through a special aircraft operated by Ariana Afghan. With the grace of god, the last batch of 55 Sikhs and Hindu refugees from #Afghanistan landed in New Delhi safely Thanks to @MEAIndia for issuing E vizas & facilitating evacuation.We will rehablitate them under our programme#MyFamilyMyResponsibilty Also Thanks to @SGPCAmritsar pic.twitter.com/ytjec1IhVE — Vikramjit Singh MP …

55 Afghan Sikhs Arrive in Delhi Fearing Persecution; Taliban Stops Them from Bringing Sacred Texts
2 years, 3 months ago

55 Afghan Sikhs Arrive in Delhi Fearing Persecution; Taliban Stops Them from Bringing Sacred Texts

News 18  

The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan once again refused to let the Sikhs who left the war torn country fearing persecution carry the sacred scriptures of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and Sanchi Sahib. These scriptures have historical, cultural, religious and archaeological value and are highly revered by the Sikh community as well as by Indians across the country but the so-called …

Plea on 'genocide' of Hindus, Sikhs in J&K: Supreme Court asks NGO to make representation to government
2 years, 4 months ago

Plea on 'genocide' of Hindus, Sikhs in J&K: Supreme Court asks NGO to make representation to government

Firstpost  

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday asked an NGO that raised the issue of the alleged genocide of Hindus and Sikhs in Jammu and Kashmir during 1989-2003 to make a representation before the Centre and the appropriate authority. The plea sought directions to conduct a census of Hindus and Sikhs, who have been victims or survivors of “genocide” in …

No education, rarely stepped out of house: Afghan Sikh woman recounts life under Taliban rule
2 years, 5 months ago

No education, rarely stepped out of house: Afghan Sikh woman recounts life under Taliban rule

The Hindu  

Manpreet Kaur, a mother of two, rarely stepped out of her house following the swift Taliban takeover of Afghanistan last year and her children barely had any idea of the world outside. Their grim existence of nearly a year changed on August 3, when they arrived in India as part of a group of 28 Afghan Sikhs who were flown …

The killing of two Sikhs shows Pakistan's continued persecution of minorities
2 years, 7 months ago

The killing of two Sikhs shows Pakistan's continued persecution of minorities

Firstpost  

Data from the 2017 Census shows that while Muslims make up 96.2 per cent of Pakistan’s population, Hindus are only 1.6 per cent, Christians 1.59 per cent, Scheduled Castes 0.25 per cent, Ahmadis 0.22 per cent, and other minorities 0.07 per cent. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, as per a PTI report, said India had registered its “strong protest” …

Afghanistan’s last Sikhs in a dilemma: To stay or leave
2 years, 11 months ago

Afghanistan’s last Sikhs in a dilemma: To stay or leave

Al Jazeera  

Community leaders estimate just 140 Sikhs remain in the Taliban-ruled country, mostly in the eastern city of Jalalabad and capital Kabul. “But we are leaving out of sheer hopelessness.” In the 1970s, Afghanistan’s Sikh population numbered 100,000, but decades of conflict, poverty and intolerance have driven almost all of them into exile. “When this gurdwara was built 60 years ago, …

Convert, Leave or Perish: Exile of Kashmiri Hindus was by Islamic Design - News18
2 years, 11 months ago

Convert, Leave or Perish: Exile of Kashmiri Hindus was by Islamic Design - News18

News 18  

The gory exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, or Kashmiri Hindus, one of India’s oldest indigenous communities, in 1990 was not the first such incident. One is still not sure how long the relentless, cruel, horrific, repulsive, gruesome “onslaught” on minorities – Kashmiri Hindus – will last in the Valley. Hundreds of thousands of Kashmiri Muslims descended on the Valley’s streets, chanting …

Syed Ata Hasnain | Protecting minorities in J&K amidst 1990s' fears
3 years, 2 months ago

Syed Ata Hasnain | Protecting minorities in J&K amidst 1990s' fears

Deccan Chronicle  

Recalling January 1990 brings horrendous memories of the selected targeting of Kashmiri Hindus by Islamists who were Pakistani proxies determined to cleanse the Valley of any non-Muslim presence. The Pakistani grand strategy failed to make headway against the Indian political and security response, although tactically the resort to minority killings did take place from time to time. I recall the …

India Can Help Sikhs Fleeing Afghanistan Find a Home in Kashmir Valley
3 years, 4 months ago

India Can Help Sikhs Fleeing Afghanistan Find a Home in Kashmir Valley

News 18  

The hasty withdrawal of the American troops from Afghanistan last month and the rapid advance of the Taliban to Kabul to capture power created a very insecure environment for the minorities, including the Tajiks, Hazaras and the Sikhs. The Indian government with some reassurances from the Taliban was able to evacuate most of the Indian community, including the Sikhs and …

How Taliban return in Afghanistan triggered Islamophobia in India
3 years, 4 months ago

How Taliban return in Afghanistan triggered Islamophobia in India

Al Jazeera  

India’s Muslim minority becomes the Hindu right wing’s target in a new hate campaign after the Taliban captures power. “It is being done just the way Pakistani or ‘jihadi’ or ‘aatankwadi’ terms were fed as slurs against Muslims.” Shortly after Taliban took over Kabul, BJP politician Ram Madhav called the 1921 Moplah rebellion one of the first manifestations of a …

Taliban stop 140 Afghan Hindu-Sikh pilgrims from visiting Delhi
3 years, 4 months ago

Taliban stop 140 Afghan Hindu-Sikh pilgrims from visiting Delhi

India TV News  

The Taliban have stopped 140 Afghan Hindu-Sikhs who were scheduled to arrive later today in Delhi from Afghanistan's capital Kabul on an annual pilgrimage tour. Partap Singh, president of Gurdwara Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji, New Mahavir Nagar, said that the group was coming to attend the celebrations organised to commemorate the 400th Birth Anniversary of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur. …

Opinion | How Modi Govt emerged as a saviour of Afghans seeking to leave their country
3 years, 4 months ago

Opinion | How Modi Govt emerged as a saviour of Afghans seeking to leave their country

India TV News  

The situation in Kabul airport continues to be chaotic with the Taliban warning the US and its allies to complete all evacuation by August 31 or face consequences. The good news is that the Indian government, with the help of the Indian Air Force and airlines, is carrying out the evacuation of Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims from Afghanistan. Union Minister …

Afghans in India call for refugee status after Taliban blitz
3 years, 4 months ago

Afghans in India call for refugee status after Taliban blitz

Associated Press  

NEW DELHI — Hundreds of Afghans living in India took to the streets Monday to ramp up demands for refugee status, amid growing fears in the community following the Taliban’s recent takeover of Afghanistan. They rallied outside the U.N. refugee agency’s office in the capital New Delhi, chanting slogans and demanding justice and security, especially for Afghan children and women. …

Over 260 Afghan Sikhs in Gurdwara Karte Parwan need help in evacuation, says US Sikh body
3 years, 4 months ago

Over 260 Afghan Sikhs in Gurdwara Karte Parwan need help in evacuation, says US Sikh body

Firstpost  

The United Sikhs said so far only India has helped evacuate Afghan Sikhs after the takeover of the country by the Taliban Washington: Over 260 Sikhs have taken shelter at Gurdwara Karte Parwan in Kabul and need help in their evacuation, a US Sikh body said Sunday. “There are more than 260 Afghan citizens left at Gurudwara Karte Parwan in …

I urge Indian govt to rescue Afghan Hindus and Sikhs from Taliban: Afghan MP Anarkali
3 years, 4 months ago

I urge Indian govt to rescue Afghan Hindus and Sikhs from Taliban: Afghan MP Anarkali

India Today  

India Today TV Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai spoke to Dr. Anarkali Kaur Honaryar, Member of Parliament, Afghanistan, after she escaped Taliban rule and reached India. Dr. Anarkali Kaur Honaryar requested the Indian government to rescue Afghan Hindus and Sikhs from the Taliban. They’re wondering who will save them Many Afghan Hindus and Sikhs have been airlifted. Q: Would you like …

As hopes of return dim, Afghans in India demand refugee status
3 years, 4 months ago

As hopes of return dim, Afghans in India demand refugee status

Al Jazeera  

India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention or the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees. Hundreds of Afghans living in India are protesting against the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and demanding refugee status in the Hindu-majority country. The system strains under a years-long backlog as India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN …

Kabuli Gurdwara: A sanctuary in Delhi for Afghan violence victims
3 years, 4 months ago

Kabuli Gurdwara: A sanctuary in Delhi for Afghan violence victims

Hindustan Times  

Guru Arjan Dev ji Gurdwara, located in a narrow lane in the bustling New Mahavir Nagar in the Tilak Nagar area is better known as ‘Kabuli Gurdwara’--- and not without reason. “ This gurdwara is manged and run by local Afghan community, and we have always helped Sikhs who arrive from Afghanistan, in every possible way. We are also taking …

Forced conversions a daily phenomenon in Pakistan, India tells UNHRC
3 years, 6 months ago

Forced conversions a daily phenomenon in Pakistan, India tells UNHRC

India Today  

Terming forced conversion a “daily phenomenon” in Pakistan, India has expressed concern over reports of atrocities committed against religious minorities in the country before the UN Human Rights Council. We've seen reports of minor girls belonging to religious minorities being abducted, raped, forcibly converted, and married,” said Pawan Badhe, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of India during the 47th session of …

Hindu migrants — Persecuted in Pakistan, ignored in India
3 years, 6 months ago

Hindu migrants — Persecuted in Pakistan, ignored in India

The Hindu  

For two decades, Jogdas Maharaj waited in vain for Indian citizenship. Hindu Singh Sodha, president of the Seemant Lok Sangathan, an organisation working for the welfare of migrants, points out that there have been three waves of migration of Hindus to India from Pakistan. While affirming that the government needs to be migrant-friendly, Sodha has sought the grant of citizenship …

Afghan Sikh refugees happy over invitation for Indian citizenship
3 years, 7 months ago

Afghan Sikh refugees happy over invitation for Indian citizenship

Op India  

Hours after the Modi government invited applications from non-Muslim refugees for granting them Indian citizenship, Sikh refugees from Afghanistan have expressed their happiness over the decision. Punjab: Sikh refugees in Ludhiana express happiness over Central govt’s decision to invite them to apply for Indian citizenship. The Union Home Ministry issued a notification asking people belonging to six persecuted communities to …

Pakistan Delisted 4,000 Terrorists in Shadow of Covid-19, Has Changed PoK Demography: India Tells UN
4 years, 3 months ago

Pakistan Delisted 4,000 Terrorists in Shadow of Covid-19, Has Changed PoK Demography: India Tells UN

News 18  

India on Monday accused Pakistan of harbouring terrorists and changing the demography of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir as Delhi issued a strong rebuttal to Islamabad for once again raising the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at the 75th United Nations General Assembly. “Full scale training camps and launchpads of terrorists are being escalated in Pakistan Occupied parts of Indian Union Territories …

Facing ISIS Attacks, Last Embattled Sikhs and Hindus Forced to Leave Afghanistan
4 years, 3 months ago

Facing ISIS Attacks, Last Embattled Sikhs and Hindus Forced to Leave Afghanistan

News 18  

Afghanistan’s dwindling community of Sikhs and Hindus is shrinking to its lowest levels. Hamdard said seven relatives of his, including his sister, nephews, and son-in-law were killed by Islamic State gunmen in an attack on the community’s temple in March, which killed 25 Sikhs. The community has suffered widespread discrimination in the conservative Muslim country, with each government threatening us …

Pakistan and Khalistanis in a sort of 'abusive marriage': Terry Milewski, author of paper on Sikh separatists
4 years, 3 months ago

Pakistan and Khalistanis in a sort of 'abusive marriage': Terry Milewski, author of paper on Sikh separatists

Firstpost  

“Canada knows what’s going on,” says veteran journalist Terry Milewski of the pockets of support for Sikh separatism within its borders, “And will not endanger relations with India, except by accident — as when a convicted Khalistani terrorist was invited to dine with the Trudeaus during their 2018 visit to New Delhi.” Calling the incident a ‘grave embarrassment’, he adds, …

Hindus in Pakistan are accepting Islam so that they can survive in the country
4 years, 5 months ago

Hindus in Pakistan are accepting Islam so that they can survive in the country

Op India  

Pakistani Hindus are known to be one the most badly persecuted minority community in the world. There have been regular reports about how young Hindu girls are kidnapped and married off to their abductors in Pakistan. Now a report in the New York Times has shown how the poor Hindus of Pakistan are left with no choice but to accept …

Hundreds of Pakistani Hindus, victims of bonded labour and poor, convert to Islam for jobs: Report
4 years, 5 months ago

Hundreds of Pakistani Hindus, victims of bonded labour and poor, convert to Islam for jobs: Report

India TV News  

Religious persecution and forced conversion continues unabated in Pakistan as dozens of Hindu families were converted to Islam in June in the Badin district of Sindh Province in southern Pakistan, which borders with Gujarat's Kutch at its south. According to a New York Times report, the mass ceremony was the latest in line of growing number of attempts by various …

Poor and desperate, Pakistan's dwindling population of Hindus accepts Islam to get by
4 years, 5 months ago

Poor and desperate, Pakistan's dwindling population of Hindus accepts Islam to get by

Firstpost  

Forced conversions of Hindu girls and women to Islam through kidnapping and coerced marriages occur throughout Pakistan. “Everyone helps the people of their faith.” As Sheikh sees it, there is nothing left for Pakistan’s more affluent Hindus to give to help the people of their own faith. “The dehumanisation of minorities coupled with these very scary times we are living …

Memories of Captivity in Afghanistan Slowly Vanishing Away: Sikh Leader After Arriving in India
4 years, 5 months ago

Memories of Captivity in Afghanistan Slowly Vanishing Away: Sikh Leader After Arriving in India

News 18  

The trauma of being abducted and kept in captivity in Afghanistan is gradually going away now that “I am back in my homeland”, said Nidan Singh Sachdeva, who till a few days ago, had to endure regular beatings and death threats by his captors. "But now that I have returned to India, I feel all the pain that I endured …

First batch of 11 Sikhs and Hindus from Afghanistan arrive in India
4 years, 5 months ago

First batch of 11 Sikhs and Hindus from Afghanistan arrive in India

Op India  

On Sunday, India welcomed the first group of 11 Sikhs and Hindus from Afghanistan. Two days back, Delhi BJP had issued a statement in which they named of eleven members of Sikh and Hindu community that came via a special flight as Nidan Singh, Makand Lal, Sanmeet Kaur, Balendra Singh, Charan Kaur Singh, Balvan Kaur Singh, Gurjit Singh, Manmeet Kaur, …

Afghan Sikh who came to India in 1994 recounts his experience
4 years, 5 months ago

Afghan Sikh who came to India in 1994 recounts his experience

Op India  

700 persecuted Sikhs of Afghanistan will soon arrive in India after the Indian government decided to permit them to come and live in India. Iqbal Singh told Amaan, “I moved to India in 1994 after the start of the civil war in Afghanistan. It was an emotional day.” Iqbal Singh said that life was initially difficult in India when first …

Over 700 Sikh, Hindus from Afghanistan to come to India in long term visas
4 years, 6 months ago

Over 700 Sikh, Hindus from Afghanistan to come to India in long term visas

Op India  

Days after an abducted Sikh leader was finally released in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Home Affairs has reportedly approved long-term visas to 700 Sikh and Hindus currently living in Afghanistan. A government official informed, “To begin with, over 700 such individuals have been identified and the required formalities are underway to bring them to India before 15 August.” Reportedly, the …

20 US senators seek emergency refugee protection for Afghan Sikhs, Hindus
4 years, 6 months ago

20 US senators seek emergency refugee protection for Afghan Sikhs, Hindus

India Today  

As many as 20 US senators have urged the Trump administration to grant emergency refugee protection to Sikh and Hindu communities in Afghanistan facing persecution as religious minorities. The letter also calls on Pompeo to offer additional support to members of the Sikh and Hindu communities that choose to remain in Afghanistan, and to ensure that Afghan religious minorities benefit …

Evacuate Sikhs stranded in Afghanistan, Punjab CM tells foreign minister Jaishankar
4 years, 9 months ago

Evacuate Sikhs stranded in Afghanistan, Punjab CM tells foreign minister Jaishankar

Hindustan Times  

Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Saturday urged foreign affairs minister S Jaishankar to bring stranded Sikh families back from war-ravaged Afghanistan to India. In this moment of crisis, it’s our bounden duty to help them.” The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee on Saturday offered to rehabilitate Afghan Sikhs if they migrate to India and also announced financial aid to …

Residents of Delhi's Majnu Ka Tila camp express joy over CAB
5 years ago

Residents of Delhi's Majnu Ka Tila camp express joy over CAB

Op India  

Following the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill by both the Houses of Parliament which grants citizenship to persecuted religious minorities of three neighbouring countries, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, there is a sense of jubilation and newfound freedom among minorities especially Pakistani Hindus who are currently residing in the country. On Thursday, speaking to OpIndia team, Pakistani Hindus living in …

Citizenship Amendment Bill: A protest for some but hope for many Hindus, Sikhs who left Afghanistan
5 years, 1 month ago

Citizenship Amendment Bill: A protest for some but hope for many Hindus, Sikhs who left Afghanistan

India Today  

Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 was approved by Union cabinet on November 4 and it has received strong criticism by the opposition parties calling it a bill against the principle of Constitution. Now living in Delhi's CR Park on Afghan passport with no valid visa since past couple of years, Ramnath Kapoor told India Today, "In 1989 when Mujahideen and Taliban …

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