‘Don’t leave Afghanistan’: Taliban assures safety to Hindu, Sikh communities

Agencies
August 16, 2021

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Taliban have assured Sikh and Hindu communities of Kabul complete safety, according to media reports. 

Hours after entering Kabul, the representatives of Taliban met the leaders of minority communities and asked them not to fear them or leave the country. Instead, they have shared their mobile numbers with them and asked to contact in case they face any difficulty, according to a report by Times of India.

It may sound disbelieving since the minorities were expecting the reprisal by Taliban and reversal of freedom they once enjoyed but for now, they are of the view that they can breathe easily. However, Taliban have asked them to raise their white flag to avoid any misunderstanding.

“On Sunday night, Taliban had entered Kabul and on Monday morning, a couple of their representative went to gurdwara Karte Parwan and met the representatives of Sikhs and Hindus, they (Taliban) asked them to not be frightened or leave the country, they also shared their contact number with them and asked to contact in case of any problem” said an Afghan Sikh Charan Singh, currently living in Moscow, while talking to Indian newspaper on Monday.

As the capital fell to the Taliban, the majority of Hindu’s and Sikh’s who didn’t wish to leave their country for various reasons either confined themselves in their homes or took shelter in Gurdwara Karte Parwan, one of the six gurdwaras of Kabul.

“For almost six years- from 1996 to 2001 - we lived under their regime and we were not scared of the Taliban then, we are not scared of them even now, we only fear war and pillaging which is our main concern, for now, there is a sigh of relief after they gave assurance of our safety and also shared their contact numbers” said an Afghan Sikh on condition of anonymity for obvious reasons.

He said the Taliban had asked them to raise their white flag outside gurdwara so as others should know that they were under the protection of Taliban's.

A businessman by profession, he said goods worth crores of rupees which they had imported from various countries including India was lying with the customs department of Afghanistan for clearance. "Taliban have assured us of protection but there are rogue elements roaming in the guise of Taliban who could plunder the godowns and take away the goods, these acts fears us most now," he said.

He informed that five out of six gurdwara’s and the two Hindu temples in Kabul were closed.

Quoting his conversation with one of his relatives in Kandhar, which has already fallen to Taliban, over the phone he said “In Kandhar only handful of Sikhs and Hindus lives, the Taliban have also assured them of their safety, we hope they keep their words”.

Meanwhile, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, "I am in constant touch with the president, Gurdwara Committee of Kabul and the sangat have told me that over 320 people of minorities (including 50 Hindus and more than 270 Sikhs) have taken refuge in Karte Parwan Gurdwara in Kabul in wake of recent developments”.

Sirsa confirmed that Taliban leaders had met Sikh and Hindu representatives and had assured them of their safety. “We are hopeful that Hindus and Sikhs will be able to live a safe and secure life despite political and military changes happening in Afghanistan,” said DSGMC president.

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News Network
November 21,2024

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Hamas says the Israeli regime’s sole objective lies in “erasing” the entirety of the Palestinian population from across the Palestinian territories.

Khalil al-Hayya, a ranking official with the Gaza Strip-based Palestinian resistance movement, made the remarks to the Palestinian al-Aqsa TV on Wednesday.

“The occupation targets everyone—it strikes hospitals, civil defense, women, children, and the elderly,” he said, adding that the regime sought to “empty Gaza of its residents, and displace the Palestinian people to fulfill its dreams of building a Zionist Jewish state across all of Palestine.”

The remarks came amid the regime’s October 2023-present war of genocide on the coastal sliver that has so far claimed the lives of nearly 44,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

“This unprecedented aggression in modern times evokes scenes from the dark ages of human history, having crossed all red lines and exceeded every expectation of brutality in the modern era,” the Palestinian official lamented.

He also regretted that the regime had added “systematic and dangerous starvation to its aggression, falsely claiming before the world that it allows 250 [aid] trucks into Gaza daily. In reality, the number of trucks is far fewer.”

Hayya, meanwhile, regretted that “scenes of children torn apart, women screaming over their children, and heart-wrenching destruction have failed to stir enough humanity to stop these crimes.”

He decried the United States for vetoing the United Nations Security Council’s resolutions that are aimed at bringing about a potential ceasefire in the war, saying this indicated Washington’s “partnership in the aggression” and a simultaneous siege that the Israeli regime has been enforcing on Gaza.

Addressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the official asserted that, despite what the Israeli official is after, Hamas would not hand over the regime’s captives “without [the regime’s] stopping the war.”

He called Netanyahu “the main obstacle” in the way of cessation of the aggression, saying the Israeli premier “blocks any progress for political reasons,” and citing his preventing conclusion of a ceasefire agreement in July.

Hayya also warned that the regime sought to expand the war beyond Gaza, but asserted that its goals are “impossible and will never happen.”

“Today, the enemy exposes its true intentions of extermination and displacement, but it will fail,” he stressed.

“The Palestinian people are resilient and will not surrender, as they believe in their humanitarian and political cause. The enemy and its allies will not succeed in achieving their goals. This steadfast people will endure, and the occupation will not prevail against them.”

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News Network
November 15,2024

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Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has killed or captured 69 terrorists linked to the Israeli spy agency Mossad during a major counterterrorism drill in the country's southeast, its spokesman says.  

General Ahmad Shafaei, the spokesman for the “Martyrs of Security” drill, said Friday that a total of 23 terrorists have been killed and another 46 arrested in various clean-up operations ever since the IRGC Ground Force launched it in the Sistan and Baluchestan province on November 1.

Seven terrorists have also turned themselves in during the period.

“The undeniable fact about terrorists is that they rely on arrogant powers, particularly the intelligence service of the wicked and vicious Zionist regime," Shafaei said.

“Unfortunately, weapons and munitions at terrorists’ disposal are among the most sophisticated ones in the world. This accounts for their heavy dependence.” 

The official stated that several members of the disbanded terror teams were non-Iranian nationals, who had been hired by foreign intelligence agencies to carry out acts of sabotage and terror inside Iran.

In a most recent operation, six terrorists were arrested and four others were eliminated, three of whom were non-Iranians, he added. 

On October 26, ten members of Iran's law enforcement forces were killed in a terrorist attack in the Gohar Kuh district of Taftan in the Sistan and Baluchestan province.

The so-called Jaish al-Adl terrorist group claimed responsibility for the assault, which was one of the deadliest in the province in recent months.

The group has carried out numerous terrorist attacks in Iran, primarily in Sistan and Baluchestan.

Its tactics include the abduction of border guards as well as targeting civilians and police stations within the province to incite chaos and disorder.

In January, Iran launched a military operation during which the headquarters of the Pakistan-based terrorist group was targeted in missile strikes, destroying its infrastructure.

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News Network
November 22,2024

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Bengaluru, Nov 22: For the second day running, the Karnataka BJP on Friday staged a statewide protest condemning the government’s alleged move to notify land of farmers as Waqf property.

The BJP staged a protest before the offices of Deputy Commissioners at district headquarters.

The BJP leaders are vehemently demanding that the state government cancel a 1974 Gazette notification in this regard.

The agitators are also demanding scrapping of the Waqf Board and the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Minister for Waqf and Housing Zameer Ahmad Khan.

The BJP MLAs, MLCs, MPs gathered in the premises of Freedom Park and staged a protest under the leadership of Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka and slammed the state government.

MLA T.S. Srivatsa led the protest in Mysuru and hundreds of party workers and farmers staged the protest under the leadership of former MP Pratap Simha in Kodagu.

Former MP Sumalatha Ambareesh led the agitation in Mandya.

This was the first time that Sumalatha took part in the party’s programme after the Lok Sabha elections.

State President B.Y. Vijayendra claimed, “The Congress government in Karnataka is issuing notices to farmers claiming the ownership of their lands to the Waqf Board and pushing them on the streets overnight.”

In the first week of December, three teams formed by the BJP will travel across the state and record the grievances of farmers.

“The state government is attempting to snatch away the lands belonging to temples as well,” Vijayendra alleged and added that the teams would comprise all senior leaders of the BJP.

Meanwhile, the police have taken Sri Ram Sena chief Pramod Muthalik into custody while staging a protest march to the office of Zameer Ahmad Khan in Bengaluru.

Muthalik along with Hindutva activists was planning to lay siege to Zameer’s office over the Waqf row.

The police stopped Muthalik and requested him to submit the memorandum by reaching the minister’s office in a vehicle. However, Muthalik refused to go with the police and continued his footmarch. The police took him into custody following arguments.

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