Around 11 members, belonging to Sikh and Hindu minority community of Afghanistan, arrived in India today.
First batch of Afghan Sikh families who were subjected to persecution & terror attacks including Nidan Singh Sachdeva who was abducted by militants last month, has arrived safely in India. (Photo: Twitter/@ HarsimratBadal_)
Around 11 members belonging to the Sikh and Hindu minority community arrived in India on Sunday. These 11 members also include Nidan Singh, the Afghan Sikh who was released from captivity on July 18.
“Around 11 members, belonging to Sikh and Hindu minority community of Afghanistan, arrived in India today. Nidan Singh, who was released from captivity on July 18, is also among those who reached Delhi today. India has granted an appropriate visa and facilitated their travel to India,” Ministry of External Affairs said.
Speaking to ANI on his return, an emotional Sachdeva, said, “I don’t know what to call Hindustan — whether it is my mother or my father — Hindustan is Hindustan.”
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“I am more than thankful to the Indian government for bringing us here to our motherland. I have no words to describe my feelings here. I arrived here after much struggle. The atmosphere of fear prevails there. Gurudwara is where we can be safe but a step outside the Gurdwara is fearful,” he added.
First batch of Afghan Sikh families who were subjected to persecution & terror attacks including Nidan Singh Sachdeva who was abducted by militants last month, has arrived safely in India. I join #Sikh community in thanking my govt for acceding to the request for evacuating them. pic.twitter.com/asKVrrusBD
— Harsimrat Kaur Badal (@HarsimratBadal_) July 26, 2020
Facing threats from Pakistan-backed Taliban, eleven members of Sikh community from Afghanistan were granted short-term visas by Indian Embassy in Kabul.
The Ministry of External Affairs has recently announced that India has decided to facilitate the return of Afghan Hindu and Sikh community members facing security threats in Afghanistan to India.
The decision comes four months after a terror attack at a gurdwara in Kabul’s Shor Bazaar. The attack has killed at least 25 members of the community.
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