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Afghan Sikhs call for peace following mass migration
Only 250 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus have remained in Afghanistan following the evacuation of hundreds of their community members from cities across the country last year.
The vulnerable minority stated that they had the highest migration rate of all groups in Afghanistan and lost a huge number of Sikhs and Hindus to violence in the last five years of President Ashraf Ghani’s tenure.
Chairman of the Sikh and Hindu Council, Ram Sarn said that around 500 Sikhs and Hindus left Afghanistan following the deadly attack on their Gurdwara, or temple, in Shor Bazar of Kabul city last year.
About 200 worshipers were reported to have been in the building at the time of the attack which lasted about an hour.
Twenty-five Sikh worshippers, including one child, were killed in the March attack.
“People left Afghanistan to protect their families. If a real government comes and the human rights of citizens like us are not violated, they will return to Afghanistan,” Ram said.
Meanwhile, challenges such as land grabbing, poverty, and harassment have forced the remaining community to settle in one of their religious sites in Kabul.
Sikhs and Hindus have urged the warring parties to stop the war and bring peace to Afghanistan.
“A durable peace must come. We have witnessed 40 years of war – it is enough. The situation has worsened. If the situation continues this way the remaining Sardars (Sikhs) will leave Afghanistan,” said Sundar Singh district representative of the community.
Terrorist activities continue to be observed along Afghanistan borders and along the India–Pakistan–Afghanistan corridor, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview published on Monday.
Speaking to Russia-based media outlet TV BRICS, Lavrov pointed to ongoing concerns in the Middle East, including its Asian regions.
He highlighted the importance of collaboration with India at the United Nations to advance a global counter-terrorism convention.
Lavrov stated that while the draft convention has already been prepared, consensus on its adoption has not yet been reached.
Russia has repeatedly expressed concern about militant threats from Afghanistan. The Islamic Emirate, however, has dismissed the concerns saying that it will not allow Afghanistan’s soil to be used against any country.
Noorullah Noori, Afghanistan’s Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs, held a phone conversation with Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, to discuss bilateral border cooperation.
According to the Iranian news agency IRNA, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening border collaboration, with a particular focus on the ongoing renovation and updating of border markers. They also agreed to accelerate joint technical and legal meetings to enhance coordination.
As part of the agreement, the next meeting of senior border officials from Afghanistan and Iran is scheduled to take place in Iran in 1405 (2026–2027).
The Director General of the OIC Mission in Kabul, Mohammed Saeed Alayyash, met on Sunday with Rolf Dieter Reinhard, Head of the German Liaison Office for Afghanistan in Doha and Acting Chargé d’Affaires of the German Embassy in Afghanistan.
During the discussion, both sides exchanged views on the latest developments in Afghanistan. They focused on the security situation, as well as the humanitarian and economic conditions faced by the Afghan people.
The two officials also reviewed recent political developments and broader challenges in the country, highlighting the need for continued international engagement and support.
The meeting emphasized the importance of ongoing cooperation and coordination between the OIC Mission and the German side in addressing Afghanistan’s challenges and in supporting efforts to promote stability and improve the humanitarian situation.
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