Two dead as Armed gunmen open fire in Kabul Gurdwara; India condemns attack
Two people died after a group of unidentified gunmen stormed a gurdwara in Kabul, Afghanan, on Saturday, and opened fire. The deceased have been identified as 60-year-old Sawinder Singh, a native of Ghazni whose family resides in Delhi, and Ahmad, who was a security guard at the Gurdwara.
Gurnam Singh, the president of the Gurdwara Dashmesh Pita Guru Gobind Singh Karte Parwan, confirmed the attack to The Indian Express. “Gunmen have opened fire in the gurdwara. We are on the other side of the building right now. Some people are suspected to be dead, but details will be clear only when we move inside,” he said.
Watch: Multiple blasts being heard from Gurdwara Karte Parwan in Kabul, Afghanan where gunmen have stormed inside, said gurdwara president Gurnam Singh @IndianExpress @iepunjab pic.twitter.com/SdopybDkyi
— Divya Goyal (@divya5521) June 18, 2022
Singh said there were at least 20-25 persons from the Sikh community inside the gurdwara when the attack took place.
Speaking about the attack, Punjab Rajya Sabha MP Vikram Sahney told The Indian Express: “The gunmen who attacked the Kabul Gurdwara are probably from the Daesh group, rivals of the Taliban. The Taliban fighters have reached the spot and a fight is ongoing between them. The gurdwara is damaged and 4 Sikhs are missing.”
Meanwhile, India, on Saturday, expressed concern about the attacks on the Gurudwara in Kabul and said that it was closely monitoring the situation. In response to questions, Minry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “We are deeply concerned at the reports emanating from Kabul about an attack on a sacred Gurudwara in that city.”
“We are closely monitoring the situation and waiting for further details on the unfolding developments,” he added.
External Affairs miner S Jaishankar while condemning the attack, tweeted, “The cowardly attack on Gurudwara Karte Parwan should be condemned in the strongest terms all.”
“We have been closely monitoring developments since the news of the attack was received. Our first and foremost concern is for the welfare of the community,” he added.
Strongly condemn the attack at Gurudwara Karte Parwan in Kabul. Have heard reports of shots being fired at devotees, I’m praying for everyone’s safety. I urge PM @narendramodi ji and @MEAIndia for immediate assance to ensure the safety of minorities in Kabul.
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) June 18, 2022
Punjab Chief Miner Bhagwant Mann, while speaking against the attack, tweeted: “Have heard reports of shots being fired at devotees, I’m praying for everyone’s safety. I urge PM @narendramodi ji and @MEAIndia for immediate assance to ensure the safety of minorities in Kabul.”
Gurdwara Karte Parwan is the central gurdwara of the Sikh community in Kabul.
Watch: Gunshots being heard from Gurdwara Karte Parwan, Kabul, Afghanan as per some local Afghan Sikhs outside the building. @iepunjab @IndianExpress pic.twitter.com/hMgf2PEFqp
— Divya Goyal (@divya5521) June 18, 2022
There are at least 150 Afghan Sikhs still stuck in the country following the Taliban takeover. They have been seeking visas from India for the past few months.Best of Express PremiumPremiumPremiumPremiumPremium
Last October, a few months after the Taliban took over, unidentified gunmen had stormed the Gurdwara Karte Parwan and vandalised the property. Since then, Afghan Sikhs have been appealing to be rescued to India. On March 25, 2020, a group of ISIS gunman killed at least 25 persons from the Sikh community after opening fire at the Gurdwara Guru Har Rai Sahib in Kabul. Before this, in 2018, a suicide bomber in Jalalabad killed at least 19 Sikhs and Hindus, including Awtar Singh Khalsa, father of former Sikh MP Narinder Singh Khalsa. Awtar was at the time running for parliamentary polls in Afghanan.
