Government of India should take concrete steps to ensure safety of minority Sikhs: Advocate S. Harjinder Singh
Amritsar, June 18:
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Advocate S. Harjinder Singh has strongly condemned the terrorist attack on Gurdwara Karta-E-Parwan near Kabul in Afghanistan on Saturday.
S. Harjinder Singh has sent emails to Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi, Home Minister Shri Amit Shah and External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, and appealed to them to take concrete steps to ensure the safety of minority Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan and intensify the efforts to evacuate them to India for settling them here.
S. Harjinder Singh said that the Sikhs had been attacked in Afghanistan in the past as well and the problems of the Sikhs living there are increasing continuously, which has resulted in an atmosphere of anxiety and fear among them. He said the Sikhs always made great efforts for the progress and prosperity of the country in which they reside and maintained the tradition of co-operating with everyone following the teachings of the Gurus (masters).
S. Harjinder Singh said that there are many historical Gurdwaras in Afghanistan and Sikhs have been living there for centuries but some people with extreme thinking are targeting Sikhs.
SGPC President S. Harjinder Singh said that two days ago, the SGPC delegation met the Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities, Government of India at New Delhi demanding citizenship of India for them and to stop the atrocities committed against them in their countries by holding talks at the diplomatic levels.
SGPC President said the SGPC has been continuously writing and asking the Government of India, to ensure the safety of life and property of Sikhs and Hindus living in Afghanistan by holding talks at the diplomatic levels. Despite the repeated alerts about the threat to the lives of Afghan Sikhs and Hindus, so far, the Government of India has not been able to evacuate them to safety.
The SGPC President said that the entire Sikh community was concerned about the Sikhs living in Afghanistan and the governments should also take concrete steps for the protection of Sikhs.
S. Harjinder Singh also called on the United Nations to take initiatives to ensure the safety of Sikhs in Afghanistan.