The Taliban is in “continuous contact” with the Hindus and Sikhs of Afghanistan who were forced to flee and had their homes taken by warlords, said a senior official of the outfit’s ‘Justice Ministry’ on Monday. In a written statement to The Hindu, the representative said the Taliban will respect the property rights of the minority communities of Afghanistan and that they are “particularly committed” to defending the rights of Hindus and Sikhs in the country.
“The technical boards for the identification and verification of usurped lands under the supervision of the commission in the centre and provinces are in continuous contact with the Hindus and Sikh compatriots whose lands have been usurped,” said Hafez Barakatullah Rasuli, spokesperson of the Taliban’s ‘Justice Ministry’. Mr. Rasuli said the properties will be restored to the members of the Hindu and Sikh communities after “identification and verification” of their claims.
The head of the Taliban’s political wing, Suhail Shaheen, had told The Hindu last week that the outfit had constituted a commission with ‘Justice Minister’ Abdul Hakim Sharaee to restore property to the members of the two minority communities who were deprived of their homes and businesses by strongmen during the previous decades. An announcement was also made at this time informing that Narender Singh Khalsa, a former member of parliament in Kabul, had returned from Canada to Afghanistan after the Taliban had assured him that his rights would be respected.
