NEW DELHI — India is closely monitoring reports of harassment and mistreatment of Sikh communities in Afghanistan and Pakistan, a senior Indian official told Parliament this week.
Kirti Vardhan Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs, said in a written response that the Indian government regularly tracks developments concerning the safety and welfare of religious minorities abroad, including Sikhs, through its diplomatic missions.
“The government remains in touch with host nations to ensure the protection, safety, and well-being of religious minority communities,” Mr. Singh said, according to Indian media reports.
Responding to a parliamentary query about the alleged persecution of Sikhs in the two neighboring countries, Mr. Singh said India acted swiftly in 2021 to evacuate members of Afghanistan’s Sikh and Hindu communities after the Taliban’s return to power.
“In light of the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan in 2021, 74 individuals belonging to religious minority communities — primarily Afghan Sikhs — were evacuated by special Indian Air Force and Air India flights arranged under Operation Devi Shakti,” he said.
Sikh and Hindu minorities in Afghanistan have faced decades of persecution, targeted violence, and displacement. Many have sought refuge in India or elsewhere, particularly following deadly attacks on places of worship in recent years.
India has long expressed concern over the treatment of religious minorities in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, the dwindling Sikh population — once in the tens of thousands — now numbers only in the dozens, according to community estimates.
