PM Modi vows solidarity with Afghan Sikhs, Hindus

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday conveyed his government’s solidarity to the minority Sikh and Hindu citizens of Afghanistan, where the Islamic State Khorasan Province attacked a gurdwara recently in response to the comments about Prophet Muhammad made by the two leaders of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

“The terrorist assault on a place of worship and targeting of the innocent civilian population is a ghastly act against humanity,” Modi wrote in a message to Sikh community of Afghanistan. “I wish to express India’s solidarity with the Afghan Hindu-Sikh community at this difficult moment of suffering and pain,” added the prime minister.

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An Afghan Sikh, Savinder Singh, was killed in the attack on the gurdwara at Karte Parwan in Kabul on Saturday. A soldier of the security force of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan was also killed in the exchange of fire with the attackers, who all were gunned down eventually. The Islamic State’s regional affiliate stated on its website that the attack on the gurdwara in the capital of Afghanistan was carried out in response to the insulting comments about Prophet Muhammad made by the politicians in India.

It apparently referred to the comments made by Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal, the two leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of India about the Prophet last month.

Modi also wrote to the family of Savinder Singh expressing condolences on his death in the terrorist attack on the gurdwara.

Savinder Singh’s family is based in New Delhi. Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri joined the family in performing his last rites here and handed over the prime minister’s condolence letter to Arjeet Singh, the son of the deceased.