India takes in Afghan Sikhs escaping Taliban terror: ‘less than 100 left behind’
- Thousands of Sikhs from Afghanistan, and other groups, have sought haven in India in recent decades amid bloodshed and oppression
- Under Taliban, as religious freedoms reduce, yet more want to flee; Sikh/Hindu community likely around 100, from over 200,000 in 1980s
The 45-year-old refugee from Afghanistan fled Kabul last month with his wife and five children, weeks after a fatal blast and gunfire went off at a Gurdwara next to their home.
Uncertain about his future and unemployed, Manmohan’s mind is invariably occupied with what to do and how to settle down in an alien land.
“I can’t see anything except darkness around, but one thing that keeps me going is the hope that things will turn better in the days to come,” he said. “But if you ask me how, I have no answer.”
In Kabul, Manmohan worked in a traditional Islamic medicine (Unani) shop and earned US$140 a month. But since coming to India he has had no income.
“It has been more than a month since we arrived but I can’t find work anywhere. Who will give me work, as I don’t have any educational degree?” he said, adding that he is unable to speak Hindi or English. He speaks Punjabi, Persian and Pashto.