By Geeta Mohan
In a gesture of solidarity, Afghan diplomats in New Delhi joined in the protests being held outside the Embassy of Afghanistan to condemn the attack that took place in Jalalabad on Sunday, killing 19 Afghans and wounded 21. Of the 19 killed, 17 were from the minority Sikh and Hindu communities.
Members of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee on Tuesday staged a protest outside Afghanistan Embassy in Delhi, condemning the Jalalabad attack and demanding protection for the minorities in Afghanistan especially the Afghan Sikhs.
Much to the surprise of the protesters, senior diplomats and officials of the embassy stepped out of the building. They shook hands with the Sikh leaders and then joined them in “condemning” the attack on the community.
The moment was heartening for the members of the sikh community who met the officials. The diplomats reiterated the fact that they are also victims of cross border terrorism.
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Manjinder S Sirsa✔@mssirsa
The participation of Afghan Diplomats in our protest reflects that everyone wants peace
Neither policy-makers nor people want terrorism or violence. We thank @ShaidaAbdali Ji for this step
Hoping and praying for a safe & protected future for our brethren in Afghanistan
Sources in the Afghan Embassy said that it was the idea of the Afghan envoy to join the protests.
India Today reached out to Afghanistan ambassador Shaida Abdali and asked hy he thought his staff should join in. He said, “It is a shared pain and therefore a protest for the loss of our Afghan Sikhs is something that should be done by Afghanistan and thus we joined in to condemn the attack and demand justice.”
He added, “It was the pain that the whole nation felt. The Afghan embassy was obliged to protest together with the Afghan Sikhs residing in India who also found support from Sikh brothers of India.”
While Afghan Ambassador Shaida Abdali himself could not be present to join the protesters, he had earlier said, “India, Afghanistan are victims of terror from a common source.”
The Sikh protesters raised the issue of the state of affairs in which the Sikhs live in Afghanistan and continued to demand protection for the Sikhs in Afghanistan. Sunday’s bombing has elicited strong reactions from Sikh community across the world. Special prayers have been organised for the victims in various Gurudwaras.
In India, Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh extended help to the victims of the blast. Heading a Sikh dominated state Amarinder Singh called upon the global community to come together to fight against the “barbaric forces of terror”. The Indian Embassy in Afghanistan also condemned the “cowardly” attack.
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Capt.Amarinder Singh✔@capt_amarinder
Strongly condemn deadly attack by ISI on delegation of Sikhs & others on way to meet Afghan president. Let global community rise in one voice against barbaric forces of terror & vow to wipe out the menace from the world. My govt extends all help to the victims & their families.
A tweet from the official handle said, “We strongly condemn the henious and cowardly terrorist attack in #Jalalabad today evening which resulted in the death of 20 innocent Afghans, including 10 members of the Afghan Sikh Community, and injured more than 20 persons,”
A source from the embassy said that after the protests, a few leaders went inside the embassy and met the Afghan Ambassador. Both sides discussed the issue of terrorists and extremists, who are trying to fracture the Afghan society.
At the same time, both sides also discussed mobilising the two nations who are victims of terrorism emanating from a common source.
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