Taliban To Return Land To Hindu, Sikh Minorities In Afghanistan: Report

(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) The Taliban administration in Afghanistan is taking steps to return private land to Hindu and Sikh minorities in a move seen as a positive gesture towards India. It is reportedly said that properties seized from religious minorities during the previous Western-backed regime are being reclaimed from warlords associated with that regime.

This initiative is significant in addressing the injustices faced by religious minorities in Afghanistan, who have endured displacement and marginalization for years.

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It is reportedly said that Indian officials have welcomed this development as a positive step. Notably, Narender Singh Khalsa, a Member of Parliament representing the Hindu and Sikh communities, has returned to Afghanistan from Canada.

Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen informed a news organisation that a commission chaired by the Minister of Justice has been established to return properties usurped by warlords during the former regime to their rightful owners.

The return of Narender Singh Khalsa, a former member of the dissolved Afghan parliament, marks a significant development following the Taliban's assumption of power in August 2021.

After the Taliban takeover, many Sikhs and Hindus fled Afghanistan, with Khalsa among the first group evacuated by the Indian Air Force in August 2021. Initially accommodated in Delhi, Khalsa later moved to Canada. Although India has not officially recognized the Taliban government in Kabul, there have been signs of improving relations between the two sides.

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On March 7, JP Singh, Joint Secretary overseeing the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran desk at the Ministry of External Affairs, visited Kabul for discussions with 'Foreign Minister' Amir Khan Muttaqi, addressing various issues including cooperation against the ISKP.

The Hindu and Sikh communities have historically been integral to Afghanistan's demographics, comprising around 1% of its population. However, their exodus began in the late 1970s and 1980s amid political turmoil and the Soviet invasion.

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