300 take refuge in Kabul gurdwara, assured safety

New Delhi/Amritsar, August 16

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At least 300 Sikhs from Kabul, Ghazni and Jalalabad and a few Hindus are learnt to have taken refuge in Karte Parwan Gurdwara, Kabul. Gurnam Singh, president of the gurdwara committee, talking to The Tribune over the phone, said local Taliban leaders had met representatives of Sikhs and Hindus, asking them not to leave the country. They had asked them to put up a white flag outside the gurdwara to signal the gurdwara was under Taliban protection, another source said.

“The Taliban leaders assured protection to our families. We hope they will keep their word,” a wary Gurnam Singh said. The remaining five Sikh shrines and the two Hindu temples in Kabul are closed. Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee chief Manjinder Sirsa said he was in touch with the Kabul gurdwara panel chief. — TNS