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international

said that such “cowardly attacks on the response to the attack and their exem- country,” it added.
places of religious worship of the minor- plary courage and dedication to protect Expressing condolences, Indian
ity community, especially at this time of the Afghan people and secure the coun- Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “
COVID 19 pandemic, is reflective of the try,” it said. I am very sad because of the terrorist
diabolical mindset of the perpetrators “India stands in solidarity with the attack in Gurdwara in Kabul. I express
and their backers”. people, the Government and the secu- my condolences to the families of all
“We commend the brave Afghan rity forces of Afghanistan in their efforts those killed in this attack.”
security forces for their valorous for bringing peace and security to the Union Minister of India Hardeep
Singh Puri condemned the attack on
Gurdwara in Kabul and said, “Suicide
attack on a Gurudwara Sahib in Kabul
needs to be strongly condemned. These
killings are a grim reminder of atrocities
that continue to be inflicted upon reli-
Gunmen and suicide bombers killed at gious minorities in some countries & the
least 25 worshippers, including women and urgency with which their lives & reli-
gious freedom have to be safeguarded.”
children, and injured many others in unjab Chief Minister Captain
a Gurdwara in Kabul, in what is seen as Amarinder Singh called the inci-
one of the deadliest attacks on the Sikh P dent tragic and unfortunate, “Hor-
rific news coming from Kabul where a
community in the country barbaric terror attack happened in the
Gurudwara Guru Har Rai. It’s extremely
tragic and unfortunate. Request Presi-
dent @AshrafGhaniJi to find out the per-
petrators and look after our people.”
US Sec Pompeo said US condemns
“horrific ISIS-K claimed attack on a
Sikh temple and community center in
Long spells of torture Kabul this morning which took the lives
of more than two dozen innocent peo-
ple, the Afghan people deserve a future
free from ISIS-K and other terrorist
AfghAnistAn hAs long been used strategically as the main route of activities.”
trade. This area has been known as the confluence of many cultures for dec- Alison Blake, British ambassador to
ades. But when the presence of Taliban and radical Islamic organizations Kabul, tweeted: “Appalled by today’s
increased there, everything started to deteriorate. These people made the attack on a #Sikh-Hindu temple in
living of religious minorities difficult. First the Taliban and then al-Qaeda Kabul. I commend the local authori-
chose Afghanistan as its stronghold. ties for their quick response. Religious
According to a report, nearly 99 percent of Hindu and Sikh citizens have minorities should never be a target.”
fled Afghanistan in the last three and a half decades. In the early eighties, Outraged by the attack, The United
when the Mujahideen had not yet gained hold in the country, the number of Nations Assistance Mission in Afghani-
Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan together was two and a half lakhs. stan (UNAMA) said, “outraged by attack
Later it started coming down. By the time the Taliban occupied the coun- , No justification for killing civilians at
try in the nineties, the number of Hindus and Sikhs reached a few thousand. worship. Our condolences to the victims
Businesses and properties of Hindu and Sikh communities have been taken and their families.”
away and mass conversions have taken place. There are frequent attacks on the
Afghanistan, which was once a major center of Buddhism now has only religious sites of minority Sikhs and
a trace of it. Buildings and idols associated with Buddhism have been at- Hindus in Afghanistan. The Sikh and
tacked. Who can forget Bamayan where the Taliban blew two giant statues Hindu communities are frightened
of Gautama Buddha with dynamite in 2001. Now the incident of Kabul Gur- there. In recent months, a large number
dwara has filled the fear in minorities again. The international community of Sikhs and Hindus decided to leave the
and especially the United Nations should take concrete action on this. country and have sought refuge in India.
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