Hindus and Sikhs feel discriminated in Afghanistan, urge Indian government for help

Sikhs and Hindus living in Afghanistan have reportedly urged the Indian Government to bail them out of the discrimination they are facing in the Muslim-dominant nation.

These Hindus and Sikhs had migrated to Kabul in Afghanistan in search of jobs and livelihood, but now say that they are being discriminated against.

A Sikh ,Raj Singh Kapoor, who is staying with his family in Kabul, felt that they have become a football between India and Afghanistan, where both shirk their reponsibilities.

"I have been to India four times. When we don't go with our visas, we land up in problems. Then why is India investing in Afghanistan? They are sending cars, investing in infrastructure development. We are called Afghans in India and Indians in Afghanistan. We have become like a football between India and Afghanistan, we are confused where to go," he said.

Their survival is under threat, hence, they want India to recognise them and provide them opportunities to work and settle within their community in India.

"They don't do anything for us, they have not helped us in the last one or two years," he said.

Afghanistan is a country where followers of religions other than Islam are a rarity. Some Sikhs and Hindus who have been living here for generations complain that life has not been easy for them.

A mother of three, Indira Kaur dubs forceful conversion to Islam as a major threat they face.

"We had threats for our son. Yesterday also he was caught by some Muslims and they said that they won't spare him and will convert him to Islam. We are thinking that we will go back this winter. Here we have no education facilities, no schools. I have three kids and my husband also does not have good work here, so it's a necessity for us to go back to India,"she said.

The Modi government has been making prominent attempts to boost bilateral ties with Afghanistan. The new Afghani Parliament building will be the most prominent symbol of Indian efforts to help Afghanistan.

Its foundation stone was laid by the last king of Afghanistan, Mohammed Zahir Shah, in the presence of President Hamid Karzai and then Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, in 2005. The construction began in 2009 and efforts are underway to complete the project by this year end.

In a bid to boost ties, India also trains military officers from Afghanistan and has increased the number to nearly 1,100 this year from last year's 574.

However, militants have repeatedly attacked Indian targets in Afghanistan. Last month, a handful of heavily armed insurgents, including suicide bombers, had launched a rocket propelled grenade and gun attack on the Indian consulate in Afghanistan's western city of Herat.

The attack underscored a worrying security picture as Afghanistan prepares to take over from foreign combat troops after more than 12 years of war against a Taliban insurgency.