New Delhi: Observing that religious places are representative of the history, social fabric and traditions of peoples of every country and community, the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights clearly states that religious places and all places of worship and contemplation There should be safe havens. , not a site of terror or bloodshed. Unfortunately, it is the religious places that have become a flash point of religiously motivated hatred and have come under attack by terrorists.
recent event dastardly attack at Gurdwara Dashmesh Pita Guru Gobind Singh, Karte Parwan in Afghanistan’s Kabul In which two persons, 61-year-old Savinder Singh and a security guard Ahmed, were killed.
Before fleeing, the terrorists set fire to the Gurdwara building after a gun battle with Taliban fighters, who eventually took control of the Gurdwara. Reports suggest that some Sikhs were injured while three Saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib were rescued.
All eyes are once again on the United Nations (UN) to ensure that its proposal is implemented with both the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex Sikh body and the Sikh flagship Madrasa Damdami Taksal. Afghanistan’s small Sikh and Hindu communities have been evacuated, their property and religious places protected.
SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami and Damdami Taksal chief Harnam Singh Khalsa have called on the United Nations to take initiatives to ensure the security of Sikhs in Afghanistan.
Given the situation and life-threatening situation for minorities in Afghanistan and the government’s actions at snail’s pace, Vikram Sawhney, a businessman and philanthropist-turned-MP, has offered to evacuate the remaining 164 Sikhs and Hindus from Kabul.
Speaking to the media, Sahni, who is also the President of the World Punjabi Organization (WPO), said in the past that the WPO had sent 3 chartered flights to evacuate Sikhs and Hindus from Afghanistan. “Similarly, the remaining Sikhs and Hindus are ready to be brought back from Afghanistan by sending a chartered plane, but we need the government to issue e-visas at the earliest”, he said.
Gurdwaras appear where large numbers of congregations gather to pray and perform religious services, thus making them a vulnerable target for violence, at least for terrorists for their symbolic political importance.
India World Forum President Puneet Singh Chandok, who acted as a bridge between Afghan Hindus/Sikhs and the country’s authorities, thanked Central government to issue visas to over 100 members of minorities in Afghanistan, He said the United Nations should ensure the security of the properties and religious places of members of the ministries and minorities in Afghanistan.
Expressing concern over the Kabul Gurdwara attack, Sikh body United Sikh observed that they were concerned that the Sikh identity, culture and religion in their distinctive form and the hate-motivated and malicious motives of terrorists continue to lead to attacks globally.