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.
