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A letter has been written to the Vishva Hindu Parishad to intervene and to urge the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Government of India to protect the Minority Hindus-Sikhs from persecution in Afghanistan. 

The letter written by Advocates Gautam Jha and Pankaj Kumar has suggested that the Government of India may consider for their safe evacuation to India and rehabilitate them speedily in India under the umbrella of the Citizenship Amendment Act.

The lawyers have pointed out that Civilian casualties in Afghanistan in the first half of 2021 has reached record levels, including a particularly sharp increase in killings and injuries since May when international military forces began their withdrawal and the fighting intensified following the Taliban’s offensive. 

“Amidst this unprecedented crisis, the Hindu-Sikh Persecuted Minorities living in Afghanistan are being targeted and they are living in fear that is well-founded”, the letter states.

The letter states that the ISKP is a Salafi-Jihadist organisation and a UN-designated terrorist organisation with operational ties with local groups. The group is responsible for deliberate attacks against civilians, in particular against religious minorities, such as Shia. Sikhs and Hindus. Prior to its retreat from Nangarhar, caused by campaigns of Afghan and US forces as well as by attacks of the Taliban between September and November 2019, the ISKP was seen as the most resilient and successful affiliate of ISIL outside its core.

The continued, and increasing, impact of the fighting on civilians highlights the dismal failure of the parties to find any means of reducing harm to civilians during peace negotiations.

The letter further apprehends that there is a reasonable likelihood that the Persecuted Minorities that includes Hindu- Sikh may be targeted specifically due to the escalation of generalised violence and military intervention across Afghanistan.