Afghan Sikhs seek refuge in India due to religious persecution at home

Sikhs living in Afghanistan flew to India’s New Delhi on Wednesday as the crisis in their country made it difficult for them to sustain back home.

The Sikh community, like other religious minorities, has been the continual target of violence in Afghanistan.

The Afghan Sikhs, including women and children, were seen reuniting with their friends and family outside the New Delhi Airport as the refugees sought to seek shelter and settle down on Indian grounds.

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“Besides the situation of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, there are also other militant groups who want to get a hold of the country,” said an Afghan Sikh who returned to India.

Sikhs are a religious minority in largely Muslim Afghanistan, comprising around 300 family members before the fall of the country to the Taliban.

Many had left the country in the wake of the takeover, according to community members and media reports.

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There still remain hundreds of Sikhs who are awaiting visas to flee Afghanistan and seek sanctuary in other countries.