The Taliban-led Afghanistan government has taken a major step towards renovating Gurdwara Karte Parwan in Kabul which suffered damage in a terror attack.
Recently, the Taliban has made claims that their security situation in Afghanistan has been resolved and has furthermore, tried prompting its minorities, Hindus and Sikhs, to return back to the country.
This proclamation was made post the meeting of the Director General of the Office of the Minister of State of Taliban, Dr Mullah Abdul Wasi, with several members of the Hindu and Sikh Council of Afghanistan on July 24th. This meeting was shed light on in the public eye through Twitter by the Office of Chief of Staff, Afghanistan.
At the meeting between Dr Mullah Abdul Wasi and a delegation of Hindu and Sikh leaders in Kabul, Wasi reminded all the minority compatriots who left the country due to certain security problems, that said problems have been resolved, security has been established in the country and is now fit for them to return to Afghanistan.
On June 18, Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) conducted a deadly attack on Karte Parwan Gurdwara in Kabul, as a result of which two people, including a Sikh, lost their lives. According to sources, around 25 to 30 people were reported to be present inside the gurdwara complex for their morning prayers at the moment the attackers entered the premises. While 10-15 people managed to escape the complex, the gurdwara’s guard, identified as Ahmad, was killed by the assailants.
Religious minorities in Afghanistan, particularly the Sikh community, have often been the targets of communal violence in Afghanistan. Previously, in October of last year, 15 to 20 terrorists entered a gurdwara in the Kart-e-Parwan district of Kabul and tied up the guards. Further back, in March 2020, a deadly attack took place at Sri Guru Har Rai Sahib Gurudwara in Kabul’s Short Bazaar area. The Islamic State terrorists claimed responsibility for the attack and its resulting deaths of 27 Sikhs and several injuries.
Meanwhile, the Taliban-led Afghanistan government has decided to renovate Gurdwara Karte Parwan in Kabul, which suffered damage in the terror attack. Sources reveal that a high-level delegation from the Ministry of Interior (MoI) paid several visits to Gurdwara to express their condolences to the families of the victims.
A technical team was also assigned to assess the level of damage caused to the last remaining functioning Sikh Gurdwara in the capital city. It is revealed that the government will spend a sum of 7.5 million Afghani to renovate the building. According to reports, the Sikh community is grateful to the Taliban for their efforts regarding the same.
