‘Sleepless nights, no education, can’t go out’: Sikh woman narrates grim tales of Afghanistan under Taliban rule

Afghanistan went through a major transition as a nation after its government was nullified and the country was overtaken by the Taliban, which was earlier a militant Islamist movement, but now forms the core cabinet in the government of Afghanistan.

The takeover saw many reports of violence and protests, including several laws enforced for women, which were criticized by many in Afghanistan. Now, a Sikh Afghan woman has narrated her ordeal on how life went on under the new government of the country.

Manpreet Kaur, a mother of two, rarely stepped out of her house in Kabul following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan last year and her children hardly had any idea of the world outside.

Their grim existence for nearly a year changed on August 3, when they arrived in India as part of a group of 28 Afghan Sikhs who were flown in from Kabul with the help of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the Indian World Forum and the central government.

After coming to India, Kaur recounted the tale of how life went on under the Taliban rule in Afghanistan, which often consisted of sleepless nights, fear of terrorist attacks on places of worship, and anxiety while stepping out of the house.

The Sikh woman told PTI, “Being a minority, there was a constant fear of being targeted. The Sikh and Hindu families in Kabul have been spending sleepless nights. The places of worship are not safe. The Gurdwara Karta-E-Parwan was attacked by terrorists on June 18."

"We used to think 10 times before stepping out of our houses. For our children, going out was out of the question. If we had to step out, we covered our faces," she said. She claimed that most of the minorities in Afghanistan have no access to education as sending children to schools means "risking their lives".

"If a child goes to an educational institute, they will be harassed there. Those who want to study mostly come to India," Kaur said, as per PTI reports.

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan took place from May to August 2021, when the US forces from the country retreated, paving way for the Islamist group to form a new government, overthrowing the older one.

(With PTI inputs)

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