Days after a deadly attack on the Karte Parwan Gurdwara in Kabul, 11 Afghan Sikh citizens were evacuated to Delhi by a special commercial flight on Thursday. The evacuees brought with them the ashes of Savinder Singh, a priest of the gurdwara, who was killed in the attack.
"There are 150 Sikhs and Hindus awaiting evacuation from Kabul. There are local restrictions on the movement of large convoys because of the prevailing security situation and we are trying to evacuate them as quickly as possible," said Puneet Singh Chandhoke, a civil society activist and leader of the Indian World Forum, who has been coordinating with the Government of India in evacuating Hindus and Sikhs trapped in Kabul. The group that arrived from Kabul included Raqbir Singh, who was injured in the June 18 attack.
The Islamic State-Khorasan claimed responsibility for the attack and declared it was revenge for the controversial remarks on the Prophet Muhammad by two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokespersons, who have since been suspended. The attack on the gurdwara was strongly condemned by the Taliban, who provided additional security for the shrine.
