UNITED SIKHS Impacting Afghan Sikhs Globally

Since the terrorist attack on March 25, 2020 in Gurdwara Har Rai in Kabul, UNITED SIKHS’ ongoing relief work for Afghan Sikhs was enhanced and moved forward with sheer urgency. For decades the Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan have been victims of discrimination, terror, violence, and persecution at the hands of extremists. The proof is in the mass exodus of a proud community that once numbered over 100,000 to now being dwindled to less than 700.

Any Afghan citizen wishing to escape persecution must obtain a passport. To facilitate this resettlement, UNITED SIKHS has been requested by those on the ground as well as by multiple Afghan Sikh advocates to undertake the responsibility of passports for 356 Afghan Sikhs & Hindus. Each passport amounts to $80 and is a burdensome expense which many families don’t have the luxury to undertake themselves. This task has been completed for the sangat in Ghazni while Jalalabad and Kabul are underway and will be completed shortly.

“Evacuating minority groups from Afghanistan is only a part of the process. Through the support of our generous donors and the dedication of our volunteers, the work must continue even after they are out of Afghanistan. Ask anyone who moved and settled into a different country; it takes years of support and hard work before a family can truly be self-sufficient,” said Jagdeep Singh, Executive Director, UNITED SIKHS. “Our global advocacy strategy aims to provide international protection and intervention for the families. This is vital to their secure and permanent resettlement.”

Some of our recent advocacy highlights are as follows:  

• In 2018 after the Jalalabad bombing left 12 Sikh leaders dead, we presented before the 39th session of the Human Rights Council the plight of the Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan
• In 2019, the Permanent Missions to the UN were urged to address the continuing threats to the safety of the Afghan Sikhs and Hindus
• Later in 2019 a petition was filed in the Canadian Parliament seeking safe passage. 
• In 2020 we partnered with the American Sikh Caucus Committee and got 26 US members of Congress to sign a letter on May 4th, 2020, urging Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, to take steps to ensure “safe and expeditious relocations of Sikhs and Hindus trapped in war-torn Afghanistan”
• Also in 2020, letters were written to Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for the protection and immediate relocation of Afghan Sikhs & Hindus
• Currently we are advocating with the Canadian government to migrate Afghan Sikhs & Hindus to Canada and other countries. 

“We understand their urgency. The families are now resettling as refugees. However this migrant crisis is far from insurmountable. The families unmet needs are to be fulfilled but their dignity must be maintained. As we continue to provide emergency humanitarian aid and documentation assistance, we recognize the global advocacy needed to achieve our goals. We are continuing to work directly, with our partners and with State Administrations of countries across the globe to grant emergency refugee protections to Afghan Sikh and Hindu communities; Our work has only begun” –  Gurvinder Singh,  International Humanitarian Aid Director, UNITED SIKHS

To date this is what has been accomplished with your tremendous and overwhelming  support:

1. Direct Assistance To The Victims Of The March 25 Attack: 

In the aftermath of the horrendous massacre, the families of those killed and injured were provided immediate humanitarian relief. Within days we were able to activate an emergency response and our Pakistan chapter mobilized to provide direct assistance to each family immediately impacted during this massacre.

2. Assistance To Every Afghan Sikh & Hindu To Offset Impact of COVID-19:

The overwhelming majority of Afghan Sikhs are laborers and underprivileged hence the impact of the lockdown was felt to a great extent. Our representatives in Ghazni, Jalalabad, and Kabul provided families with direct monetary assistance to help mitigate some of the severe impact that the Coronavirus pandemic had on the community. Each and every one of the 656 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus was documented, assisted and provided with 1,000 rupees.

3. Assistance to Afghan Sikh Refugees in Delhi:

Over the past few years approximately 10,000 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus relocated to India with long-term visas. Many of these families in Delhi reached out due to the adverse impact Covid-19 had on their livelihood. Our tireless volunteers immediately engaged to provide these families with daily essentials allowing them to sustain themselves. Upon hearing of the work we did, other families also reached out for relief and were subsequently helped.

4. Free Mortuary Van Services In Delhi During Covid-19:

There has been a paucity of ambulances in Delhi due to the widespread impact of the Coronavirus along with a lack of PPE equipment and individuals to perform last rites.

Our team recognized that this was especially true for underserved and underprivileged communities. Hence a program was launched to provide not only transport but also to assist families with final services. One vivid example was how our valiant volunteers acted upon getting informed of the necessity of an ambulance at Sehgal Neo Hospital in Meera Bagh for Sardar Jasbir Singh, an Afghan Sikh and a noted community Ragi (One who does Kirtan – singing of religious hymns) who lost his life due to COVID-19. The Emergency Response Team dispatched immediately to assist and provide emergency mortuary van services for the family to be able to perform their final rites.

5. Assistance to Afghan Sikh Refugees In Pakistan:

Our local chapter has lent its resources to help Afghan Sikh refugees in Pakistan who have been subjected to physical and mental torture as religious minorities of Afghanistan and as a result, were forced to flee. These families have been severely impacted as Covid-19 completely disrupted their livelihood and reached out to our Afghanistan Coordinator, Charan Singh, for support. Immediately our Emergency Response Team in Pakistan moved to provide funds to help them sustain during this time of crises. 

6. Assistance To Afghan Sikh Refugee In Pakistan With No-Interest Loan:

“We seek to not only arrange relief but sustenance so a family can provide for themselves and in turn become an asset to others that the community can rely upon”, states Herdyal Singh, Director, UNITED SIKHS Pakistan.

For example, after facing religious persecution himself and after his brother was kidnapped and killed, Sardar Charan Singh Khalsa fled from Afghanistan to Pakistan in 2019. He had little to no resources in hand and struggled to start a new life in Lahore. However, he continues to advocate for his community and direct resources and information to those back in Afghanistan. After discovering what he was enduring, our Pakistan chapter creatively directed 2 lakh rupees towards Charan Singh Khalsa in the form of a ‘no-interest’ loan to help him start his business. With the help of these funds, he now successfully runs a general store in Lahore and in turn can assist others as needed. The idea is that this cycle will allow that other families in similar situations can also be provided sustenance.

7. Legal Assistance To Afghan Sikh Refugee In Germany:

Due to the response provided by us to Afghan Sikhs on a global scale there have been instances where our organization was contacted via its platforms directly by Afghan Sikhs seeking assistance. One such instance is that of Taran Singh who was struggling for refuge in Germany.

Taran Singh was kidnapped, beaten, and humiliated by the Taliban in 2005 and went into severe depression. His father was forced to sell his land to get him released. Even upon his release, he was constantly threatened and his grandfather was ultimately killed. Fearing for his life, he fled Afghanistan to India. His story is absolutely heartbreaking from him getting misguided and led astray by agents to his stints working as an indentured servant and losing a child in Austria to eeking out a survival in Italy and to finally seeking refuge in Germany. He was at a standstill as he was to be deported within 2 weeks and without recourse and any glimmer of hope, Taran Singh uploaded a video on the internet narrating his story and providing a glimpse into his life.

“When we are working tirelessly to secure Afghan Sikhs and to get them to a safe haven we could not let a family do the opposite; leave a safe zone and get deported to where they would be in certain peril,” stated Gurpal Singh, Coordinator, UNITED SIKHS UK, who reached out and provided legal assistance through a retained law firm. With this emergency intervention, Taran Singh and his family were able to obtain rightful documents to extend their stay in Germany.

8. Assistance To ICC For Investigation Against War Crimes In Afghanistan

UNITED SIKHS’ International Civil and Human Rights Advocacy (ICHRA) reached out to the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on April 18, 2020. ICHRA assisted in consolidating information and providing relevant data  to help further investigations against the war crimes in Afghanistan. In response to our outreach, the Office of the Prosecutor wrote back to thank our team for the communication. They also assured that the information provided will be taken into consideration and accounted for.

We have raised $114,521 through our Afghan campaigns to date. With the execution of the projects above, we are left over with $22,500.00. These funds will now be utilized for the assistance of the Afghan families migrating to India including the setting up of an Afghan desk in Delhi to address immigration, documentation, furnishings and the remaining unmet needs of the arriving families. 

UNITED SIKHS can only continue this life-saving work with the support of our donors, the commitment of our members, the well wishes of our supporters, and the tireless work of our sewadars. We are humbled by the trust and faith the community places in us to continue this sewa forward. Our Afghan Sikh brothers and sisters will not be relegated to the sidelines nor will the issue be allowed to wither away.

In addition, we recognize and thank the other Sikh NGO’s and selfless individuals who have been working to assist these families as this is a monumental undertaking and everyone must come forward to forge a path together. 

We ask that you join us as the work has only begun.  
Together we can Secure, Settle and Save Afghan Sikhs!

In Solidarity:
Global UNITED SIKHS Team
contact@unitedsikhs.org
1.888.243.1690