With barely a few hundred Afghan Sikhs and Hindus left in the country, an entire bunch of the brave and courageous Sikh leadership and Hindus killed by a suicide bomber while they were on their way to meet the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.  As Sikhs protest worldwide, they seek answers from the Muslim world as to how have Sikhs suddenly become enemies?

Kabul de rehn walya lahi nitt muhima -Those who reside in Kabul are always in a struggle for survival. This is a phrase to describe Sikhs in a difficult situation and how they have to make continuous efforts to survive and grow. What more describes the status of Afghan Sikhs today?

10 Sikhs including Afghan Parliamentary candidate Avtar Singh Khalsa and Gurdwara leader Rawail Singh and 7 Hindus died and nearly 2 dozen people wounded in a suicide bomb attack in Jalalabad, targeting a bus-load of Sikh and Hindu leaders on their way to meet the Afghan President. Undoubtedly, whoever did it was seized with the desire to rid Afghanistan of its inclusive culture and society by killing these leaders and sending a message to the Sikh and Hindu population that they are not wanted in present day Afghanistan, demonstrating the reasons for the dwindling of Sikh and Hindu numbers from thousands to a few hundred.

Avtar Singh Khalsa would have been the first Sikh in Afghan parliament this Oct. Deeply saddened. He was martyred in a cowardly terror attack. An ecosystem which utilizes terror as an instrument to achieve different objectives is in & of itself doomed to fail. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/zTO9rY0LRC

— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) July 2, 2018

The resilience of those killed can be gauged from the fact that they chose to be there to look after the remaining Sikh religious places of worship –the Gurdwaras and temples, as thousands of Afghan Sikhs and Hindus have taken refuge in Austria, other parts of Europe, United Kingdom, USA, Canada and India.

 Also view: HINDU KUSH TO THAMES

Let it be known that ten courageous Sikh leaders were killed. Living in the face of death every day, they were on their way to meet Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. An entire generation of Afghan Sikh leadership has been wiped out in one day. It will take a long time, if that time will come to bridge the gap and produce such leaders again.

“The resilience of those killed can be gauged from the fact that they chose to be there to look after the remaining Sikh religious places of worship –the Gurdwaras and temples, as thousands of Afghan Sikhs and Hindus have taken refuge in Austria, other parts of Europe, United Kingdom, USA, Canada and India.”

Worldwide Sikhs have condemned the dastardly inhuman attack wiping out a full generation of Sikh leadership. Commenting on the situation in the geo-political situation in Afghanistan, Dal Khalsa leader Kanwarpal Singh has stated that “Afghanistan is an open battlefield with too many stakeholders, with no direct line of authority and with multiple countries and agencies playing havoc with the lives of the people of all religions and regions.”

He further said that, “We fully comprehend that we are the Sikhs are not the only ones who are under attack, even the Muslim community is.”

Anup Singh And Eqbaal Singh Khalsa were among those killed in today's Jalalabad suicide bombing attacking Avtar Singh Khalsa's campain rally. Avtar Singh Khalsa, a parliamentary candidate from Kabul died along with 19 others, out of which 10 were Sikh brothers. pic.twitter.com/qH7aXkrKvk

— 𝙎. 𝙈𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙛𝙖 𝙆𝙖𝙯𝙚𝙢𝙞 (@CombatJourno) July 1, 2018

Significantly, the land of Jalalabad has been consecrated with the footsteps of the First Master Guru Nanak Sahib. Talking about Jalalabad where this bombing and killings took place, travel writer Gurpreet Singh Anand says that “Jalalabad was immortalised by the Sikhs in the First Afghan War when nearly a six-month long siege was laid to it in 1842.” According to him, apart from the religious angle of Muslim superiority, the Sikhs support for Pakhtunistan, the annexation of Peshawar and its subsequent amalgamation into Pakistan may be seen as major irritants between the Afghans and the Sikhs.

 Also Read: Welcome to Kabul via Southall, London

Today, Afghan Sikhs are sad and angry. They have been crying hoarse for the last three decades that the state does not allow them to cremate their dead bodies and all cremation takes place within the Gurdwara premises.  Sikh bodies across the globe have failed to persuade the Afghan government or the militant outfits to do away with their wrong approach. Nobody has reminded them that the Hezb-i-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, once a powerful militant leader and now an interlocutor with the present government had “recognised” the Sikh right to a separate Sikh state.  

“Kabul de rehn walya lahi nitt muhima –Those who reside in Kabul are always in a struggle for survival.”

Powerful Sikh leaders of the West need to lobby the US, the UN and through these institutions the Afghanistan government and other leaders to ensure that no more Sikh lives are lost though I wonder whether any of them would still stay back. The President of the Global Sikh Council, Kanwaljit Kaur in a statement issued in London has said, “GSC requests the Afghan President to provide better security for Sikhs and other minorities and pay adequate compensation to the bereaved families. GSC will petition the US ambassador to UN -Ms. Nikki Haley urging immediate US State Department intervention to secure minority communities in Afghanistan.”

The SGPC and DSGMC will be holding a sit-in outside the Afghanistan High Commission in Delhi on 3 July 2018.

As we upload the story, media reports suggest that the radical Islam body -the Islamic State has claimed responsibility and has said that, “it had targeted a group of polytheists.” It is a tragedy that with the Sikhs by their side for centuries, the Islamic State has not understand that Sikhism like Islam is purely monotheistic.

 Also view: Exhibition | Sikh Historical Shrines, People & Places of Afghanistan

It is heartening to note that the United Nations has quickly responded by saying, ….. The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has tweeted his condemnation, of course, without mentioning whether they are Sikhs or Hindus. He has the knack of making condemnations and assurances to minorities without mentioning names.

While it may be true that Kabul de rehn walya lahi nitt muhima –Those who reside in Kabul are always in a struggle for survival. , it also more than true that Je Kudhi de pekke tagdhe honn te phir darran di jaroorat nahi hondi –if the parents side of the bride are strong and determined, there is nothing to fear from the boy’s side. One young Sikh writer on his facebook page writes that today once again he desires for “our own Sikh state.” Another says, “Since last night, I am recalling the deeds of Hari Singh Nalwa.”  

“Sikh bodies across the globe have failed to persuade the Afghan government or the militant outfits to do away with their wrong approach.”

The life and times of the West may make it difficult for them to come back, but these devout Sikhs who know how to live and how to die will resurrect them from the present situation and one day soon will re-establish their foothold in Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan.

 If you like our stories, do follow WSN on Facebook.

Today, the parents’ side of the Sikh Diaspora –the Punjab is a weak and wavering ship, trying to find its own foothold. How will it protect others? I can only say that the Sikhs of Kabul have the special blessings of the Tenth Master –Guru Gobind Singh – “Sarbat Sangat Kabul Guru Rakhega.  Tusan utte asadhi bahut khushi hai.”