Batch of Afghan Sikhs to arrive in Delhi on Sunday

Tribune News Service

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New Delhi, July 25

A batch of Afghan Sikhs, including Nidan Singh who was recently in captivity, is scheduled to arrive here on Sunday afternoon on the basis of travel documents issued by India.

The Indian Embassy in Kabul facilitated the movement of these 11, including Makand Lal, who will be granted long-term visas on arrival, authoritative sources told The Tribune here.

Nidan Singh was kidnapped in Paktia province during June and released from captivity last week. The batch is scheduled to arrive on a private airlines from Afghanistan with the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee providing an undertaking to the Centre to take care of their stay and boarding here at a city gurdwara.

Earlier this week, responding to questions on whether there were any plans to give the Afghan Sikhs and Hindu citizenship, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said there has been a recent spurt in attacks on the Hindu and Sikh communities in Afghanistan by terrorists at the behest of external supporters.

India has been receiving requests from members of these communities that they want to settle down here. Despite the Covid-19 situation, India has been facilitating these requests, Srivastava said.

On his part, DGSMC president Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the Committee will be taking care of the well-being of the batch and also those who are planning to come to India.