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Kabul : Many among the endangered Afghan Sikh minority plan to leave for neighboring India, after a suicide bomb attack in the eastern city of Jalalabad killed at least 13 members of the community.
According to the Islamist group, the militant group included Avtar Singh Khalsa, the only Sikh candidate in parliamentary elections in October, and Rawail Singh, a prominent community activist.
"I am clear that we can no longer live here," said Tejvir Singh, 35, whose uncle was killed in the blast.
"Our religious practices will not be tolerated by Islamic terrorists, we are Afghans.The government recognizes us, but terrorists target us because we are not Muslims," said Singh, the secretary of a Hindu and Sikh National Group
The Sikh community now has fewer than 300 families in Afghanistan, which has only two Gurdwaras Singh added: [traduction] Although almost entirely Muslim, Afghanistan counted up to 250,000 Sikhs and Hindus before a devastating civil war in the 1990s [Ilyaunedizained-yearsagotheUSStateDepartmentdeclaredinareportthatabout3000SikhsetHindousystilllived
Despite official political representation and freedom of worship, many are victims of prejudice and harbadment. , urging thousands of people to visit India, their spiritual homeland.
Following the attack in Jalalabad, some Sikhs sought refuge at the Indian consulate in the city.
"We have two choices left: Baldev Singh, owner of a book and textile store in Jalalabad
issued long-term visas to members of Sikh and Hindu communities in Afghanistan
.all live in India without any limitation, "said Vinay Kumar, India's ambbadador to Afghanistan." The last call must be made by them. We are here to help them. "
Kumar, who was in the Indian capital, New Delhi, to discuss the security situation, said the government was helping to organize the latest rites of Sikhs killed in the explosion.
"We do not go away"
But other Sikhs, with land or businesses and having no connection with India, say that – " They do not plan to leave because Afghanistan remains their country.India offered to carry away the corpses, but at least nine were cremated according to Sikh rites in Jalalabad.
"We are not cowards," said Sandeep Singh, a Sikh trader in Kabul. "Afghanistan is our country and we are not going anywhere."
The attack was on "the multicultural fabric of Afghanistan, "Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday.He should hold a meeting to discuss threats to the security of minorities Indian and religious.
India, Afghanistan's longtime ally, has invested in several major development projects, but increased security risks have prompted its companies to downsize their operations.
Officials in both countries were not able to release seven Indian engineers kidnapped in May in Baghlan province in the north of the country.
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