Parliamentary Committee Notes: Situation of Afghan Sikhs and Hindus

As per the European Union Agency for Asylum, it is estimated that there were around 700 000 Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan in the 1970s, around 220 000 in 1992, around 150 at the end of 2021, and per the U.S. 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom, 6 in 2023.

Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan face widespread discrimination and have suffered deadly attacks from Daesh affiliates, which have caused many to flee.

The de facto authorities promised to protect the rights of Sikhs and Hindus, but Sikhs and Hindus continue to face societal pressures.

Supporting facts and figures

Over the years, Sikhs and Hindus have encountered incidents of crime, land-grabbing, societal discrimination, harassment, and violence. Furthermore, Daesh affiliates like Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP) have conducted attacks against Sikhs and Hindus in recent years.

background

The origin of the Sikh community in Afghanistan has two streams: those who are descended from converts to Sikhism during the founder of Sikhism's trip to Kabul around 1520 and those who trace their roots to the expansion of the Sikh Empire and trade routes (1799–1849).

There was a rapid decline of Hindus and Sikhs from the 1970s to 2021. In the 1970's there were about 700 000 Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan, around 220 000 in 1992, around 150 at the end of 2021, and per the U.S. 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom, 6 in 2023.

During the Soviet Afghan War in the 1980s, many Afghan Sikhs fled to India. After the 1992 fall of the Najibullah regime, a larger number fled. The collapse of Najibullah's regime triggered another civil war that led to the rise of the Taliban and their eventual takeover of most of Afghanistan by 1996. Although there were over 220,000 Sikhs in Afghanistan in the early 1990s, after the beginning of the civil war, most had fled. Seven of Kabul's eight gurdwaras were destroyed during the civil war.

Under the Taliban in the late 1990s, Taliban commanders were ordered to respect Sikh and Hindu communities on certain conditions, but also required Sikhs and Hindus to identify themselves, their homes and businesses with yellow tags. Sikhs and Hindus were forced to pay the jizya tax, a tax paid by non-Muslims, and the Sikh custom of cremating the dead was prohibited and cremation grounds were vandalized.

The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2004-2021) afforded greater freedoms to Sikhs and Hindus. Since the Taliban's return to power, new restrictions on women's clothing and religious expression, as well as societal pressures, continue to impact the remaining few Sikhs' and Hindus' way of life.

Date modified: