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

    With Political Self Goals, Punjab's Aam Aadmi Party Is In Disarray

    With Political Self Goals, Punjab's Aam Aadmi Party Is In Disarray
    For a political party that was taking a serious shot at coming to power in Punjab less than two years ago, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) appears to have gone wayward.

    With Political Self Goals, Punjab's Aam Aadmi Party Is In Disarray

    Indian Students To Benefit From Relaxed Canadian Visa Procedures

    Indian Students To Benefit From Relaxed Canadian Visa Procedures
    Students from India and three other countries will get faster visas to study in Canada as it has introduced major changes in visa procedures to reduce the processing time, according to Canadian immigration authority.

    Indian Students To Benefit From Relaxed Canadian Visa Procedures

    Punjab Expatriate Gurbinder Singh Receives Compensation From UAE Firm After Accident

    Punjab Expatriate Gurbinder Singh Receives Compensation From UAE Firm After Accident
    Gurbinder Singh, who hails from Punjab and worked as a crane operator for a private company in Abu Dhabi, had injured his knee and was diagnosed with serious medical condition resulting in amputation of both his hands and legs.

    Punjab Expatriate Gurbinder Singh Receives Compensation From UAE Firm After Accident

    Take Care Of Your Health: PM Modi To Airman Who Fainted At Guard Of Honour

    Take Care Of Your Health: PM Modi To Airman Who Fainted At Guard Of Honour
    The summer heat took its toll on an IAF personnel who collapsed during the guard of honour ceremony organised at the Rashtrapati Bhavan for visiting Seychelles President Danny Faure.

    Take Care Of Your Health: PM Modi To Airman Who Fainted At Guard Of Honour

    My Love Story Is Like Veer-Zara, Says Man Wrongly Jailed For 14 Years

    My Love Story Is Like Veer-Zara, Says Man Wrongly Jailed For 14 Years
    In a life upended by allegations of terror and prolonged imprisonment before acquittal, it's his love story that helped him cut through layers of pain, says Mohammed Aamir Khan.

    My Love Story Is Like Veer-Zara, Says Man Wrongly Jailed For 14 Years

    How Secret Diary Of Indian-Origin Woman, Lover Turned To 'Poisonous' Plot In Australia

    How Secret Diary Of Indian-Origin Woman, Lover Turned To 'Poisonous' Plot In Australia
    Australian Supreme Court yesterday jailed Arun Kamalasanan, deemed the "architect" of the poison plot, for 27 years and Sofia Sam for 22 years.

    How Secret Diary Of Indian-Origin Woman, Lover Turned To 'Poisonous' Plot In Australia