19 Killed as a kamikaze targeted by minority Sikhs, Hindus in Afghanistan

A suicide bomber targeted a group of Sikhs and Hindus, two minority Afghan communities, in the city of Jalalabad, the capital of the eastern province of Nangarhar, killing nearly 20 people

. . They martyred 15 and wounded 15 other Sikhs. We are not aligned with any group or party. Why would anyone attack us? We have never hurt anyone, "said VOA Tarlok Singh, a member of the Sikh religious minority.

However, an Afghan health official told VOA that the death toll was higher. high, with 19 people killed – at least 17 of Sikh and Hindu communities – and at least 20 wounded.

Sikhs and Hindus were on their way to attend a rally led by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in the office of the Governor of the province when a suicide bomber blew up his explosive device.

The Islamic State through its media wing, Amaq, took responsibility for the attack in the city of Jalalabad, however, the militant group claimed to have targeted a "medical complex."

It is believed that it was one of the first A suicide bomber targeted members of the Sikh minority group in Afghanistan. [19659003] "Unfortunately, it's the first Once our Sikhs are victims of a suicide bombing. The leaders of the group and the active members of the community have all been killed or wounded today, "said Zabihullah Zimaray, a former provincial secretary general of Nangarhar province.

Avtar Singh Khalsa, a leader of Long standing of the Sikh community, was among those killed in the suicide bombing of today, said an Afghan official at VOA

Khalsa was an unopposed candidate for the only seat of the Sikh and Hindu Afghan minorities Parliamentary elections in Afghanistan in October 19659003 The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (IHRC) condemned the attack and described the attack on minority groups "… an obvious example of a war crime" and called on the Afghan government to bring those responsible to justice.

"Afghan armed opposition must respect international humanitarian law and the rule of law. Human rights values ​​and refrain from targeting specific groups or individuals, "said IHRC spokesman Mohammad Bilal Sidiqi at the VOA.

Discrimination

The Afghan Sikh and Hindu populations totaled about 220,000 in the 1980s. This number dropped sharply to 15,000 when the Mujahideen were in power during the 1990s and remained this level during the Taliban regime. According to a survey conducted by TOLO news, the most watched private television station in Afghanistan, it is estimated today at 1350 the number of Hindus and Sikhs who remain in the country.

Discrimination is one of the many reasons why Sikh and Hindu minorities are fleeing Afghanistan, said Anar Kali Hunaryar, an Afghan Sikh senator, at VOA in a previous interview.

"Discrimination has caused our children not to attend regular schools and that is why most of our children in Afghanistan remained illiterate and could not participate actively in their communities," Hunaryar said. l & # 39; interview.

Afghanistan is a predominantly Muslim country, but the Constitution sets out equal rights for followers of other religions

"The sacred religion of Islam is the religion of the Republic Islamic religion of Afghanistan: The followers of other religions must be free within the limits of the law in the exercise and the fulfillment of their religious rituals, "reads in the article. Article two of the first chapter of the constitution.

However, Rawinder Singh, a member of the Afghan Sikh and Hindu Union, who spoke to VOA previously on the subject, named "social discrimination" as the number 1 problem of religious minorities in the country

The Indian subcontinent is the cradle of the Sikh faith, and India is home to the largest Sikh population in the world.

"Our Afghan compatriots are calling us Indians and we are told to return to India. We are Afghans like any other resident of this country. Yes, we follow the same religion as the Indians, but it is not rational to say that we do not belong to Afghanistan, "said Singh to VOA.

Sikh Minorities and Hindu live mainly in the south and east of Afghanistan and their numbers continue to decline. "We were treated sick and discriminated in the past, but today they brutally brutalized us", said Tarlok Singh, referring to the suicide bombing.