A representation of the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi Image Credit: AP
The Taliban is in constant contact with Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan, who have been forced to flee and whose homes have been seized by militants, a senior official in the organisation’s Ministry of Justice said on Monday. In a written statement to The HinduThe representative said the Taliban respects the property rights of Afghanistan’s minority communities and is “particularly committed” to protecting the rights of Hindus and Sikhs in the country.
Taliban spokesman Hafiz Barakatullah Rasuli said technical boards that identify and inspect encroached land under the supervision of the commission at the center and provinces are in constant contact with Hindu and Sikh compatriots. Ministry of Justice’. Mr. Rasuli said the properties would be restored to members of the Hindu and Sikh communities after “identification and verification” of their rights.
Taliban political wing chief Suhail Shaheen said The Hindu The committee, along with ‘Justice Minister’ Abdul Hakeem Shari, had last week formed a commission to restore property to members of two minority communities who were deprived of their homes and businesses by powerful figures in previous decades. An announcement was made at this time that former Kabul MP Narender Singh Khalsa had returned to Afghanistan from Canada after the Taliban assured him that his rights would be respected.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is committed to ensuring the rights of religious minorities, especially Hindus and Sikhs, in accordance with the provisions of Islamic Sharia. Islamic Hanafi jurisprudence has detailed provisions on the rights of religious minorities and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is committed and determined to protect those rights,” Mr. Rasuli said. A large delegation held a meeting with ‘Justice Minister’ Shari a month ago, in which the delegation put their demands before the Taliban regime, he said.
Randhir Jaiswal, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs here, had said last week that India considered the Taliban’s recent decision to restore property to minority communities a “positive development”.
The Taliban’s restructuring of the Afghan justice system has drawn criticism in the past as it is perceived to be a violation of “due process of law”. However, recent announcements by the ‘Ministry of Justice’ on restoring the rights of minority communities have drawn attention.
The Taliban maintains that Hindus and Sikhs played a crucial role in maintaining the country’s commercial ties with the region, and that they served a unique purpose in Afghanistan’s urban centers until the 1980s when political turmoil prompted migration.