Close X
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
ADVT 
India

25 Sikh Families From Afghanistan Seek Indian Citizenship, Sushma Swaraj Assures Aid

IANS, 09 Jul, 2018 12:18 PM
    There are about 25 Sikh families in the city, which left Afghanistan a decade ago over security concerns. They have sought Indian citizenship and government support for their rehabilitation.
     
     
    Kulwant Kaur, a widow, said she had come to India about eight years ago with her son and daughter, while her husband was killed by militants in Afghanistan. “We are living in penury, but at least we are safe here. Come what may, we are not going back to Afghanistan. I work as a domestic helper. I hope the government provides me a job,” she said.
     
     
    Another family said they were “tortured” in Afghanistan. “Here, at times we get food from a gurdwara. Some of us are daily wagers, while others drive auto-rickshaw. We have our passports and other documents. We need government support,” said one of them.
     
     
    Shammi Singh, 54, lives in a rented dilapidated house at Chawni Mohalla. He said as a youth, he had never imagined that he would leave Kabul. “There used to be around 1.8 lakh Sikh families in Afghanistan and there was no discrimination. But things started getting worse in the last 10 years, as people there started treating us as traitors,” he said.
     
     
    “We request the government to give us Indian citizenship and provide us accommodation,” he added.
     
     
    Former SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said: “The issue needs to be addressed by the governments. We can provide them food, but that is not a permanent solution. The SGPC should provide them financial assistance.”
     
     
    External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday said she had spoken with Iqbal Singh, a Sikh man who was admitted to the AIIMS here after being injured in the blast that claimed 19 lives in Afghanistan’s Jalalabad last week, and offered all assistance to him.

    MORE India ARTICLES

    Mob Beats Ahmedabad Woman To Death Suspecting Her To Be Child Kidnapper

    Mob Beats Ahmedabad Woman To Death Suspecting Her To Be Child Kidnapper
    Policemen from a nearby police station rushed to the spot and rescued the women, inspector Rathva said, adding that Ms Shantiben died at the civil hospital.

    Mob Beats Ahmedabad Woman To Death Suspecting Her To Be Child Kidnapper

    Doesn't Understand No: Focus On Stalking After Army Officer Wife Murder

    Doesn't Understand No: Focus On Stalking After Army Officer Wife Murder
    Stalking is an outcome of a sense of male entitlement that a woman cannot refuse them, said secretary of All India Progressive Women's Association Kavita Krishnan.

    Doesn't Understand No: Focus On Stalking After Army Officer Wife Murder

    Now, Apply For Passport From Anywhere In India

    External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also launched a mobile application that would have the facilities for applying, paying and scheduling appointments for acquiring a passport.

    Now, Apply For Passport From Anywhere In India

    Angry Passengers Hold Up Train For An Hour, Get Toilets Cleaned

    Angry Passengers Hold Up Train For An Hour, Get Toilets Cleaned
    Around 100 passengers held up the Mumbai-Katra Swaraj Superfast Express at the Ambala Cantt railway station for nearly an hour as they were angry over unclean coaches and dirty toilets in the train.

    Angry Passengers Hold Up Train For An Hour, Get Toilets Cleaned

    Kerala Man Alleges Priests Sexually Abused Wife; Church Orders Probe

    The man from Pathanamthitta district alleged that some priests allegedly used his wife's secret confession to blackmail her.

    Kerala Man Alleges Priests Sexually Abused Wife; Church Orders Probe

    Punjab Govt Schools Barred From Holding Farewell Parties

    School farewells are a memorable part of a student’s life, but the Education Department apparently finds such events as a waste of money. It has thus barred government schools from organising farewells for Classes X and XII.

    Punjab Govt Schools Barred From Holding Farewell Parties