New Delhi: India on Friday described as "positive development" the move by the Taliban regime to restore private land rights to Afghan Hindus and Sikh minorities.
According to reports, the Taliban administration has taken steps to restore property rights of the Hindu and the Sikh communities.
"We have seen reports on this issue. If the Taliban administration has decided to restore property rights to their citizens belonging to the Afghan Hindu and Sikh community, we see this as a positive development," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
His remarks came in response to a question on the matter during his weekly media briefing.
The Taliban regime has reportedly set up a commission to ensure return to owners the rights of private land which were seized by warlords during the tenure of the previous dispensation in Kabul.
Earlier, Hindus and Sikhs were targeted by fighters of the Islamic State, Khorasan Province (ISKP), which soon after the US withdrawal positioned itself as a challenger to the Taliban. In 2022, it launched a series of attacks on Hindus and Sikhs, targeting a Gurdwara on one occasion, forcing the Sikhs living there to bring the last two ‘Swaroops’ of the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib from Kabul to New Delhi in January 2023.
It is pertinent to note that although India does not formally recognise the Taliban regime in Kabul. However, New Delhi is maintaining a 'technical team' in Kabul, which continues to provide all kinds of facilities to Afghan travellers and traders to India. The relationship between India and Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover has been strange.
Also, ever since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, India has been steadfast in providing humanitarian assistance to help the war-torn country deal with the crisis and continues to do so. Following the Taliban takeover in August 2021, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said that India’s approach to Afghanistan continues to be guided by its historical friendship.
