Desk: India has condemned forcible removal of Nishan Sahib from the roof of historic Gurudwara Thala Sahib in Afghanistan’ss Paktia province and has hoped that “Afghanistan future must be one where interest of all sections of Afghan society, including minorities and women, are protected”.
Earlier, multiple reports said that Taliban has removed the Sikh religious flag of Nishan Sahib from Gurudwara Thala Sahib, Chamkani, Paktia in Afghanistan.
Gurudwara Thala Sahib is of historical significance as Guru Nanak had visited this shrine. Nidan Singh Sachdeva was also kidnapped last year from same Gurudwara.
Charan Singh, an Afghan Sikh, looking after community affairs has confirmed this development. He said: “The local caretaker was initially warned by the militant forces to remove the Nishan Sahib. Later, the militants accompanied him and forcefully removed the holy flag.”
In may last year, 30 Sikhs were massacred in Gurudwara Guru Har Rai in Kabul.
Under the Taliban regime, the Sikhs and Hindus were a persecuted minority and forced to pay the Jizya Tax. The Sikh and Hindu custom of cremation of the dead was prohibited by the Taliban and this is still an ongoing issue with local Afghans who protest against cremation by Sikhs and Hindus.
There are hardly any Hindus left in Afghanistan. However, a few sikh families still live in a few areas.
Under Taliban rule Hindus and Sikhs were forced to wear yellow patches to identify themselves and they were also forced to fly yellow flags over their houses and shops.
In another development, Taliban have also shot and killed the director of Afghanistan’s Government Information Media Centre Dawa Meenapal. US has condemned the killing.
Dawa Khan Meenapal’s killing has been widely condemned by most of the observers.
