Taliban Removes Sikh Flag From Historically Significant Gurdwara In Afghanistan's Paktia
According to reports, the Taliban allegedly forced the caretaker of the Gurdwara Thala Sahib in the Chamkani area of the Paktia province to remove the flag from the rooftop.
The Afghan Taliban which is fast gaining ground in the battle-torn country has forcefully removed Nishan Sahib, a Sikh religious flag, from a gurdwara in the Paktia province in eastern Afghanistan.
According to reports, the Taliban allegedly forced the caretaker of the Gurdwara Thala Sahib in the Chamkani area of the Paktia province to remove the flag from the rooftop.
#FLASH :- The #NishanSahib , Sikh religious flag removed by #Taliban Forces from the roof of Gurdwara Thala Sahib , Chamkani , Paktia , #Afghanistan : sources pic.twitter.com/VSxFoLjOhy
¡ª Ravinder Singh Robin ?????? ???? ??????????? ???? (@rsrobin1) August 6, 2021
Gurdwara Thala Sahib has a significant place in the history of the Sikh religion as it was once visited by Guru Nanak.
While the Taliban is yet to acknowledge the development, it adds to the fears of religious minorities in Afghanistan who had long suffered when the insurgents were ruling the country.
The former President of #DSGMC @ManjitGK condemned #Taliban for forcing the caretaker of Gurdwara Thala Sahib, Chamkani, Paktia, #Afghanistan, to remove #NishanSahib, Sikh religious flag from the Gurdwara.@MEAIndia @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/RNCl3kQT1T
¡ª Ravinder Singh Robin ?????? ???? ??????????? ???? (@rsrobin1) August 6, 2021
Under their strict Islamic rule, non-Muslims were seen as second-class citizens and several of their religious places and monuments were also destroyed.
The most shocking of them was the destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan - two 6th-century statues of Gautama Buddha carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamyan valley of central Afghanistan.
The Taliban which viewed the statues as idols blew them up using explosives in March 2001.
Meanwhile, the Taliban on Friday confirmed that it has assassinated the Afghanistan government's top media and information officer in the capital city of Kabul.
AFP
Dawa Khan Minapal, who was the head of Government Media and Information Centre (GMIC), had been killed, an official in the federal interior ministry confirmed, without saying who was responsible.
On Friday Taliban also launched violent attacks on the outskirts of Jowzjan's provincial capital Sheberghan in an attempt to capture it.
AFP
Nine of the 10 districts of Jowzjan were now controlled by the Taliban and the contest to control Sheberghan was underway.
In Helmand province too the Taliban and the Afghan Army are engaged in a battle to control the capital of Lashkar Gah.
Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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