Afghanistan: Sikh Politician Returns; Taliban to Return Sikh & Hindu Lands

Narender Singh Khalsa, a prominent Afghan Sikh politician, has returned to Afghanistan nearly three years after he was evacuated by the Indian govt. On 9 Apr, the announcement of his return to Kabul was made by the Taliban government's Contact Commission on Liaison with Afghan Personalities. The seven-member commission was set up by the Taliban govt. in 2022 to facilitate the return of political leaders who left after the Taliban swept to power in Kabul on 15 Aug 2021. Khalsa was elected to a reserved seat for Hindus and Sikhs in the lower house of Afghanistan's parliament in 2021. After being evacuated to India along with Anarkali Kaur Honaryar, the only female Afghan Sikh Member of Parliament, he moved to Canada. Honaryar is in exile in Europe. Although the reason for Khalsa’s return is unconfirmed, it is presumed to be part of the Taliban’s policy to ‘restore’ the private property of Afghan Hindus and Sikhs by reclaiming these properties from warlords linked to the previous West-backed regime. A Taliban official said, ‘This initiative marks a significant step toward redressing the injustices faced by religious minorities in the country, who have long been displaced and marginalized.’ Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson responded, ‘If the Taliban administration has decided to restore property rights to their citizens belonging to the Afghan Hindu and Sikh community, we see this as a positive development’ (SDW Vol. 2 Issue 1, Story 10).