Kabul, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid on Saturday claimed that “those who had harassed the Hindu minority in Kabul were all arrested by the Kabul police and brought to justice”, days after the vandalisation of a gurdwara by armed men has raised concerns about the safety of Afghan minorities in the country.
Mujahid, who is the acting deputy minister for information, gave the news in a tweet on Saturday, as the worried Afghan Hindus and Sikhs appealed to the Indian government for their immediate evacuation.
On October 5, a group of heavily armed men, resembling the Taliban militia in appearance, entered the Gurdwara Karte Parwan in Kabul, tied up the three guards there, rummaged through the cupboards of the gurdwara office and left after smashing some CCTV cameras.
Though the footage from the CCTV cameras has been handed over to the local Taliban authorities, there has been no forward movement in identifying the armed men who vandalised the gurdwara.The council of Afghan Hindus and Sikhs held a meeting at the Gurdwara on Saturday, which also saw the participation by Indian citizens in Afghanistan. They discussed the vandalisation of the gurdwara by "unidentified forces" and the nefarious attack on the Shiite mosque in the northern city of Kunduz on Friday in which many innocent Afghans belonging to the Hazara community were killed.
The council “demanded fool-proof investigation and accountability” from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan on the vandalisation of the Gurdwara.
They also requested the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to ensure protection of their rights and their wellbeing as per the UN Charter.Puneet Singh Chandhok, President Indian World Forum, on Saturday reiterated his appeal to the Indian government for immediate evacuation of the Indians and Afghan Hindus and Sikhs in Kabul.“The Government must act fast before the Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan again become victim of militants as their future there is uncertain,” he said.