There are multiple signs suggesting that the Taliban administration in Afghanistan is actively pursuing the restoration of lands to Sikhs and Hindus that were unlawfully taken from them. This development coincides with the news of Narendra Singh Khalsa, the representative of Hindus and Sikhs in the former Afghan parliament, returning to Afghanistan from Canada.
The majority of the land was seized from Hindus and Sikhs by Taliban warlords during the previous Afghan regime.
The Land Acquisition Prevention and Restoration Commission has commenced investigating instances of land seized from Hindu and Sikh communities throughout the Islamic Emirate, as per a report by Kabul-based Ariana News on 10 March.
One month after the launch by the Ministry of Justice under the Taliban’s rule, the Taliban has begun returning properties to the displaced Sikhs and Hindus nationwide, as reported by The Hindu. “A commission chaired by the Minister of Justice has been established to return to their owners all properties which had been usurped by warlords during the former regime,” Suhail Shaheen, Head of the Political Office of the Taliban, told The Hindu.
“Hindu and Sikh representatives have engaged in numerous meetings with Taliban officials in Kabul over the past nearly three years. They have expressed concerns about the usurpation of their lands and have urged the Taliban to address the issue,” according to Afghanistan International.
The Times of India reported that Indian officials saw this development as a goodwill gesture towards India.
Some of the last Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan left the nation after the Islamic terrorist group Isis claimed responsibility for the attack on a Gurdwara in Kabul in 2022.
The government evacuated groups of Indians and Afghan minorities out of Afghanistan, where many Sikhs and Hindus who were fleeing the nation did so.
The majority of Sikhs and Hindus, who made up 1% of the Afghan population, had fled the nation due to rising attacks on the minority community.
Attacks on the minority Hindu and Sikh populations in Afghanistan escalated in 2021 as the Taliban began seizing power in the war-torn nation.
Gurdwaras started to experience regular attacks. The attack on Kabul’s famed Kart-e-Parwan Gurdwara dealt the last blow.
Following the overthrow of the Ashraf Ghani government and the Taliban’s takeover, a large number of the remaining Sikhs in Afghanistan left.
On 9 April, the Afghanistan International portal announced the return of Narendra Singh Khalsa, the sole member of the old Afghan Parliament who represents Sikhs and Hindus. “The Taliban’s Commission for Return and Communication with former Afghan officials announced that Narendra Singh Khalsa, the representative of Hindus and Sikhs in the former Afghan parliament, has returned to the country from Canada,” according to the article.
The news of Khalsa’s return to Afghanistan is noteworthy in light of rumours that the Taliban leadership is attempting to give Sikhs and Hindus back their stolen land.
