‘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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Agencies
November 22,2025

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New York/Washington: US President Donald Trump has again claimed to have solved the conflict between India and Pakistan, repeating his assertion during a meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office.

Mamdani flew to Washington DC for his first meeting with Trump in the White House on Friday. Trump said he “enjoyed” the meeting, which he described as “great.”

During remarks in the Oval Office, with Mamdani standing next to him, Trump repeated his claim that he solved the May conflict between India and Pakistan.

"I did eight peace deals of countries, including India and Pakistan,” he said.

On Wednesday, Trump had said he threatened to put 350 per cent tariffs on India and Pakistan if they did not end their conflict, repeating his claim that he solved the fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called him to say “we're not going to go to war.”

Since May 10, when Trump announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after a “long night” of talks mediated by Washington, he has repeated his claim over 60 times that he “helped settle” the tensions between India and Pakistan.

India has consistently denied any third-party intervention. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians. India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.

Mamdani emerged victorious in the closely-watched battle for New York City Mayor, becoming the first South Asian and Muslim to be elected to sit at the helm of the largest city in the US.

He had been the front-runner in the NYC Mayoral election for months and defeated Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and political heavyweight former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent candidate and was officially endorsed by Trump just hours before the elections.

Indian-descent Mamdani is the son of renowned filmmaker Mira Nair and Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani. He was born and raised in Kampala, Uganda and moved to New York City with his family when he was 7. Mamdani became a naturalised US citizen only recently, in 2018.

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News Network
December 2,2025

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Bengaluru: 'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry) considered one of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s favourites along with steaming hot idlis was on the breakfast menu at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The spread also included 'nati koli' fry, vada and pongal, among other items, they said.

In an apparent show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders shared a meal amid a simmering power tussle in the state Congress.

Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM’s residence in Sadashivanagar, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former Congress MP.

Suresh and Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, joined them for breakfast, which featured a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Speaking to reporters later, Siddaramaiah said Shivakumar had invited him during his visit to the CM’s residence for breakfast on Saturday.

Asked about the difference between the two meals, the chief minister said, "At his (Shivakumar’s) house it was non-veg, while at my house it was veg. He is a vegetarian, I am a non-vegetarian. I had not prepared non-veg. I told DK to get chicken from the village as you won’t get the original in Bengaluru."

Shivakumar said he had initially invited Siddaramaiah to his residence, but the CM had suggested visiting his place first and reciprocating later. "It was a vegetarian breakfast at the CM’s house on Saturday," he noted.

"Today, I invited him (the CM) to my house. He enjoyed the breakfast, which had his Mysuru taste," Shivakumar added. At this point, Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar’s wife is also from Mysuru.

Saturday’s breakfast at Siddaramaiah’s official residence, held as part of efforts by the Congress high command to ease tensions in the leadership dispute between the two, reportedly included idlis and sambar, according to official sources.

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News Network
November 22,2025

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The Israeli regime’s forces have killed two Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip every day since the ceasefire began in early October, UNICEF has warned.

The UN children’s agency said on Friday that Israeli forces continue to attack Palestinians in Gaza even though the agreement was meant to stop the killing.

“Since 11 October, while the ceasefire has been in effect, at least 67 children have been killed in conflict-related incidents in the Gaza Strip. Dozens more have been injured. That is an average of almost two children killed every day since the ceasefire took effect,” UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires said in Geneva, reminding that each number in the statistics represents a child whose life had ended violently.

“These are not statistics,” he said. “Each child had a story, a family, and a future that was stolen from them.”

Data from Palestinian factions, human rights groups, and government bodies recorded since the US-brokered ceasefire deal went into effect on October 10 show that Israeli forces have carried out numerous attacks, each constituting a separate ceasefire violation.

UNICEF teams say they repeatedly continue to witness heart-wrenching scenes of fearful Palestinian children sleeping outdoors with amputated limbs, while others live as orphans in flooded, makeshift shelters.

“I saw this myself in August. There is no safe place for them. The world cannot normalize their suffering,” Pires said, lamenting that the UN could “do a lot more if the aid that is really needed was entering faster.”

The UNICEF spokesperson warned that with the advent of winter, the risks for hundreds of thousands of displaced children will increase.

He warned, “The stakes are incredibly high” for children as winter acts as a threat multiplier, where children have no heating, no insulation, and few blankets. He said respiratory infections rise.

“Too many children have already paid the highest price,” Pires said. “Too many are still paying it, even under a ceasefire. The world promised them it would stop and that we would protect them.”

“Now we must act like it,” the UNICEF spokesperson added.

Since the Israeli regime launched its genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza in October 2023, it has killed nearly 70,000 people in the territory, most of them women and children, and injured over 170,000 more, while reducing most of the structures in the enclave to rubble.

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