Sikhs flee into India, many lament 'end' of SIkhism in Afghanistan
New Delhi: Evacuation of Sikhs and Hindus from terror-torn Afghanistan to India has started on a big scale marking the writing of a new chapter in the history of Sikhism in particular.
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On August 24, 2021, three copies of Holy books of Sikhs, Guru Granth Sahib were also flown out of Taliban-controlled Kabul and will be now retained with religious sanctity in Delhi and other parts.
The three holy books were taken to Guru Arjan Dev Ji Gurdwara in the national capital.
Among others the federal Urban Development and Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, a Sikh and junior foreign minister V Muraleedharan received the holy books.
In fact, Puri carried one of the books on his head like a religious disciple of Sikhism, and he rightfully called himself 'a blessed one' for getting the opportunity to carry out the solemn duty.
Puri tweeted to say that he was 'privileged' and 'fortunate' to welcome (receive) the three holy scriptures.
The passengers on board the Air India flight on August 24 chanted “Wahe Guru ki Khalsa, Wahe Guru ki Fateh” in the flight from the war-ravaged Afghanistan.
On August 24, 75 people, including 46 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus and prior to that on August 23rd, 23 Afghan Sikhs arrived India.
But with regard to the arrival of Afghan Sikhs in India, including two lawmakers suggest it is opening up a new vista for the valiant warrior and agrarian community which has lived in Afghanistan for ages.
Paramjeet Singh Sarna, a Delhi-based Sikh leader and a politician belonging to Akali Dal, said, the new developments in Afghanistan and the fleeing of his community mark “end of an era of Sikh (history) in Afghanistan”.
"Sikhism is real history, not mythical history. The history of Sikhism in Afghanistan dates back to the 15th century when the founder of Sikh religion Guru Nanak visited the region," says Afghan lawmaker Narender Singh Khalsa.
Senator Anarkali Honaryar as well as their families were among those flown out of Kabul in a C-17 military Air Force aircraft on Sunday.
Khalsa broke down at the airport on arrival. He says in fact several Sikh shrines in Afghanistan are now vulnerable in cities like Kabul and Kandahar post-Taliban takeover.
The community sources said there are six Gurdwaras in Kabul, five in Kandahar and one each in Jalalabad and Ghazni.
These include the oldest Gurdwara Khalsa in Shor Bazaar locality in Kabul.
The name of the locality is a Hindi word meaning 'sound and noise', he says.
Moreover, in Ghazni there are a few old handwritten copies of Guru Granth Sahib.
Nirmal Singh, Chief Khalsa Diwan (a body of priests) has also sought the intervention of the federal government of Narendra Modi in India to ensure upkeep and sanctity of the Sikh shrines.
"There is every possibility of their desecration," he said.
Other community members and 'evacuees' who have landed in Delhi also endorse the view but hastened to add that though fortunately some of these places of worship and sacred books survived through the first stint of Taliban rule in the 1990s, the same cannot be said about this time.
One Afghan Sikh woman unwilling to be named told UCA News : "Even in the 18th and 19th centuries Sikhs from areas which now falling under the Indian state of Punjab had gone on pilgrimage to Kabul and Ghazni, but now such a thing will come to naught".
She also says, "While I feel sad for Hindus and Sikhs as we have been uprooted, it is a fact these last 20 years were different. The American influence had a sober impact and the status of women were changing and people were hoping for miracles. But all those good things were short-lived".
But she said the conditions of local Afghans and especially women were pitiable.
"The withdrawal of western forces may not be premature but planned very badly. The Americans ought to make an explanation why they treated Afghanistan like a hunting ground and then decide to leave it without adequately giving strength to the Afghan elected government and military," she said.
Speaking in a similar vein, another 'evacuee' and a Muslim said, "It is a story of a pipe dream gone haywire.
Americans came and 20 years after the battle, they withdrew to a shell and our country is now the same again.
The Americans have to understand that their experience failed and real human beings live in Afghanistan''.
Lamenting that things have hardly any chance to improve or change under Taliban 2.0, several
others said those who have been left behind have to face Taliban highhandedness where women cannot be
educated and have to stay indoors and men who 'shave' would be publicly "whipped".
One Kabul-based trader who landed here on August 23, says - "The sad part of the tragedy is
Afghanistan has been handed over to the same people whom Americans claim to have ousted once.
Why the US never bothered to handle Pakistan in a befitting manner despite reports from various quarters is a puzzling issue".
In his context, he said, "None other than Barack Obama as the US president had said why the US government had long tolerated such behavior from a purported ally, Pakistan".
For Sikhs and Hindus - those who have been lucky to come to India - escape to India was certainly a lucky breakthrough.
But, they say they were also grateful to the Government of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making the intervention in bringing them to India.
A number of Sikhs taken shelter in a Gurdwara in Kabul were initially stopped by Taliban from escaping and taking to flight.
One of them also referred to the new controversial law, Citizenship Amendment Act enacted by the Modi government in December 2019.
"We heard a new law has been made to help refugees and those who come from India's neighbouring countries to get Indian citizenship. This law should be enforced soon to help mitigate the hardships of Sikhs and Hindus," another person said.
The controversial new citizenship law was enacted by the Narendra Modi government in December 2019 triggering widespread nationwide protest and also sharp criticism from several overseas bodies.
The CAA restricts eligibility to six religious groups - Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who entered India on or before 31 December 2014; but excluded Muslims.
Even the European Union and Indian opposition leaders have said the CAA discriminates Muslims from three countries, it specifically excluded Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar.
However, Puri has said - “Recent developments in our volatile neighbourhood and the way Sikhs and Hindus are going through a harrowing time are precisely why it was necessary to enact the Citizenship Amendment Act".
The 'escape' of a large number of Afghan Sikhs into India is also coinciding with election season in Punjab state of India where provincial polls are due by March 2022.
Though the BJP is not a big stakeholder in the state that has substantial Sikh population, the saffron party is also keen to project Hardeep Singh Puri as its face for the electoral battle, sources said.
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Afghan Sikhs and Hindus thank Modi for helping them to 'escape'
Many lament 'end' of Sikhism in Afghanistan
The evacuation of Sikhs and Hindus from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan to India marks a new chapter in the history of Sikhism.
On Aug. 24, three copies of Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhs, were flown out of Kabul and will be now retained with religious sanctity in Delhi and other parts of the country.
India’s federal urban development and petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri, a Sikh, was among those who received the holy books.
Puri carried one of the holy books on his head and called himself “a blessed one” for the opportunity to perform the solemn duty.
Among the 75 persons arriving in the county on Aug. 24 were 46 Afghan Sikhs. The previous day had seen the arrival of 23 Afghan Sikhs. The return of the members of this warrior and agrarian community after having lived in Afghanistan for ages is a significant development.
Paramjeet Singh Sarna, a Delhi-based Sikh leader and Akali Dal politician, said the latest developments in Afghanistan and the return of his community members mark “the end of an era of Sikh history in Afghanistan.”
The history of Sikhism in Afghanistan dates back to the 15th century when the founder of the Sikh religion, Guru Nanak, visited the region, said an Afghan lawmaker.
Senator Anarkali Honaryar, the Sikh woman politician who was among those flown out of Kabul in an Indian Air Force aircraft on Aug. 22, said Sikh shrines in Afghanistan in cities like Kabul and Kandahar are vulnerable after the Taliban takeover.
Sikh community sources said there are six gurdwaras in Kabul, five in Kandahar and one each in Jalalabad and Ghazni. These include the oldest Gurdwara Khalsa in Shor Bazaar locality in Kabul.
In fact, the name of the locality is a Hindi word meaning "noise," they said. Moreover, in Ghazni, there are a few old handwritten copies of the holy Guru Granth Sahib.
Nirmal Singh, chief of the Khalsa Diwan (a body of priests), has now sought the intervention of the Narendra Modi government to ensure the upkeep and sanctity of Sikh shrines and sacred books left behind in Afghanistan. “There is every possibility of their desecration,” he said.
These places of worship and sacred books survived through the first stint of Taliban rule in the 1990s. But the same cannot be guaranteed now, community members fear.
An Afghan Sikh woman told UCA News: “I feel sad for Hindus and Sikhs as we have been uprooted. But the conditions of local Afghans, especially women, are pitiable. The American influence had a sober impact and the status of women was changing. People were hoping for miracles. But all the good things were short-lived.”
Sikhs from India have been undertaking pilgrimages to Kabul and Ghazni since the 18th and 19th centuries but now that won’t happy anymore, she said while speaking on condition of anonymity.
Echoing her views, a Muslim evacuee said: “It is a story of a pipe dream gone haywire.”
Many others said those who were been left behind will face Taliban high-handedness. Women will be confined to homes without access to education and men will not even be able to shave, they said.
A Kabul-based trader after landing in India said: “The sad part of the tragedy is that Afghanistan has been handed over to the same people whom the Americans claimed to have ousted.”
It was a lucky breakthrough for the Sikhs and Hindus who could escape to India and for this they thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government. A number of Sikhs who had taken shelter inside a gurdwara in Kabul were initially stopped by the Taliban from taking a flight.
One of them referred to the much-criticized Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) enacted by the Modi government in December 201 to help refugees from neighboring countries. “This law should be enforced soon to help reduce the hardships of Sikhs and Hindus,” he said.
The CAA allows the granting of Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan arriving on or before Dec. 31, 2014, while excluding Muslims.
Indian opposition leaders and the European Union have said the CAA discriminates against Muslims from the three countries.
But Puri said: “Recent developments in our volatile neighborhood and the way Sikhs and Hindus are going through a harrowing time are precisely why it was necessary to enact the CAA.”
The return of Afghan Sikhs will likely cast a shadow on the forthcoming state elections in Punjab expected to be held in March next year.
(UCAN report)
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Now, the ‘irrelevance’ of communism in debate in Nepal
New Delhi:
Just around the time the mainland Asia and the world were debating the rise of radical Islam and Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, in another corner in South Asia there was a debate on the growing ‘irrelevance’ of communism.
In Nepal, a principal communist protagonist Pushpa Kumar Dahal also known as Prachanda, was virtually toying with the idea of quitting politics and dedicating future time to "writing books".
Reportedly this is what he had told a closed door meeting of party leaders, according to a report in Nepal’s leading English daily ‘The Kathmandu Post’.
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| Blogger in Nepal |
Prachanda was so upset with the situation in the last few years that he went on to remark – “Communist parties in the world have fallen”.
He also warned: “If we continue with our current activities, our party will be of new use”.
Dahal actually got a first shocker in terms of a bitter mandate when his party was reduced to third party position in 2013 – within five years of emerging as the single largest party in 2008.
For some years, Prachanda and his loyalists did not get their ‘importance’ in Kathmandu’s high-drama power politics too.
But now on August 19, 2021, Nepal’s major Leftist political player CPN-UML has split; and observers in the Himalayan nation say this would help Maoist Centre (of Dahal/Prachanda) to get some relevance as the split would have serious ramifications electorally.
The breakaway UML faction led by former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal is expected to extend support to the incumbent Prime Minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba.
However, Lok Raj Baral, a political scientist has told the media that “A split in the UML was Dahal’s interest, rather than Deuba’s”.
Baral also shared the grim view that communism under Prachanda was losing its sheen in Nepal. He said: "There is a realisation in Maoist Centre (party) that its relevance is over and it does not have any good agenda to sell during the elections”.
It remains to be seen whether formation of splintered groups would help Dahal get back his relevance in Nepal politics.
China connection:
But developments in communist parties in Nepal have some bearing on China as well.
Around 2017-18, China had played a role with ‘quick-fix’ trying to bring two communist parties CPN-MN and CPN-UML together.
K P Sharma Oli dominated the CPN-UML scene in the government but nothing much was done or achieved in terms of ‘communist’ penetration in rural Nepal politically.
As Oli’s position strengthened, his detractors Prachanda (Dahal) and the likes of Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhalanath Khanal got together to target Oli and to demand his resignation.
Finally, the Nepal Communist Party (formed by united the rival factions in 2018) also split after Oli had decided to dissolve the House of Representatives in December 2020.
Nepal’s politics seemed to have little interest in political stability.
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