Following the attack on a gurdwara in Kabul, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has granted e-visas to over 100 Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan on a priority basis, ANI reported on June 19, citing government sources.
At least two people were killed and seven injured on Saturday in an attack by Islamic State on a Sikh temple in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul, officials said, in yet another deadly spate of violence targeting minorities and places of worship. .
On an affiliated Telegram channel, the Islamic State’s local branch said the attack was in response to the insults leveled at the Prophet Mohammed, an apparent reference to a remark by a government spokesman for the Indian government that was condemned by several Muslim-majority countries. Is.
Gornam Singh, a temple official, said there were around 30 people inside the building at the time.
A spokesman for the Kabul commander said a Sikh worshiper and a Taliban fighter were killed in the attack as his forces took control of the area.
Saturday’s blast was widely condemned as a series of attacks targeted at minorities, with a statement from neighboring Pakistan saying its government was “regarding the recent terrorist attacks on places of worship in Afghanistan”. was seriously concerned.”
The UN mission in Afghanistan said in a statement that minorities in the country needed to be protected and India’s President Narendra Modi said on Twitter that he was “shocked” by the attack.
Sikhs are a small religious minority in largely Muslim Afghanistan, comprising about 300 families before the country’s fall to the Taliban. According to members of the community and the media, many have left.
Like other religious minorities, Sikhs have been the target of constant violence in Afghanistan. The Islamic State also claimed the death of 25 people in an attack on another temple in Kabul in 2020.
On Saturday, one person was killed and two injured in an explosion that followed the previous day’s explosion at a mosque in the northern city of Kunduz, according to officials.
Following the attack, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a statement saying that India is “deeply concerned” over the attack.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said: “We are deeply concerned by reports of an attack on a holy gurudwara in that city from Kabul.”
Meanwhile, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann has condemned the attack. He has urged the Ministry of External Affairs and PM Narendra Modi to summon the Ambassador of Afghanistan.
“Very condemnable! This is not the first such incident. There are attacks on minorities every three-four months. I urge the Ministry of External Affairs and the Prime Minister to summon the Afghan Ambassador and send a strong message that the Government of India will protect the minorities. Stands firmly for safety.
The External Affairs Minister said, “The cowardly attack on Gurdwara Karte Parwan must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. We are closely monitoring the developments since the news of the attack. Our first and foremost concern is for the welfare of the community.” ” S Jaishankar tweeted.
(with inputs from Reuters)