Abducted Sikh among other Afghan citizens reach Delhi, thank Modi government

It was a very warm welcome and tears of joy for 11 Afghan Sikhs who reached Delhi on Sunday via Kam Air flight from Afghanistan. They were received at Delhi Airport's ceremonial lounge, reserved for welcoming VVIPs.

The group is the first of the Afghan minorities who are facilitated by the Indian government to reach India by expeditiously processed visas. Around 700 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus have registered at the Indian mission in Kabul for transfer to India.

Abducted Delhi based Afghan Sikh Nidan Singh was also part of the first batch.

Speaking to media, Nidan Singh said, "Many people, including Pakistani Taliban, used to come and beat me. I thank Indian PM, the Indian government. India is a great country. No danger for anyone".

Lauding India's secular credentials he said, "No one asked my religion here".

Singh was kidnapped from Gurdwara Tala Sahib, Chamkani in Afghanistan. Singh and his family of 6--wife, 2 sons and 3 daughters had moved to India in 1992 due to civil unrest in Afghanistan and have been staying in New Delhi as refugees.

10 of the 11 Afghan Sikhs are family members of Sikhs killed in Kabul Gurudwara terror attack on March 25th in which over 25 Afghan Sikhs being killed. The Afghan Sikhs who returned are Nidan Singh, Makand Lal, Sunmeet Kour, Balender Singh, Charan Kour Singh, Balwan Kour Singh, Gorjeet Singh, Malmeet Kaur, Mandeep Singh, Ponam Kaur and Parwin Singh.

They are hopeful that they will soon get Indian citizenship. Charan Singh, the brother in law of Nidan Singh who is in Delhi told WION, "I am hopeful on citizenship front."

The Indian government has announced that it will give Afghan Hindus and Sikhs visas and examine Indian citizenship requests by them. The spokesperson of India's Ministry of External Affairs Anurag Shrivastava in response to a WION question at the weekly presser last week said that Indian government has been receiving requests from these communities that "they want to move to India and settle down here" and despite the COVID pandemic, "we are facilitating the requests".

While no details have been given on the rules, India could give citizenship to these Afghan minorities under the citizenship Amendment Law passed last year in the parliament.

WION was the first channel to break the story that India will facilitate return of 11 Afghan Sikhs including Nidan Singh on Sunday.