'No fear or anxiety': Sikhs, Hindus in Afghanistan assured of safety by Taliban

Members of the Sikh community have taken refuge in Kabul gurudwara after the Taliban takeover

Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan have been assured of safety by the Taliban. There is no "fear or anxiety", according to a video statement in a news report shared by a Taliban leader on Twitter.

In the video by Qatar-based Al Jazeera, the insurgent group leaders are seen visiting a gurudwara in Kabul and meeting with members of the Sikh community who have taken refuge in the temple. After two decades, on Sunday, the Taliban took over Kabul as President Asraf Ghani fled the country.

Akali Dal's Manjinder Singh Sirsa, the President of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, shared the video and confirmed that the Taliban has assured Sikhs in the country of safety.

"I am in constant touch with the President [of] Gurdwara Committee Kabul. S. Gurnam Singh & Sangat taking refuge in Gurdwara Karte Parwan Sahib in Kabul. Even today, Taliban leaders came to Gurdwara Sahib and met the Hindus and Sikhs and assured them of their safety," Sirsa wrote.

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Taliban's M Naeem, a spokesperson for the Political Office of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, wrote on Twitter that heads of temples told them: "We are safe and secure and we do not feel any fear or anxiety."

The swift takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban has created a humanitarian crisis as Afghans and foreign nationals rushed to the Kabul airport, desperately seeking an exit from the country under the new regime.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that the government is in touch with Sikh and Hindu leaders in the country and that their welfare will get priority.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had sought evacuation of around 200 Sikhs in the gurudwara and offered his government's help to the Centre.