Afghanistan: Slain Sikh leader's son likely to contest election
Kabul, July 7 (IBNS): The son of slain Afghani Sikh leader Avtar Singh Khalsa is likely to contest the upcoming national polls, local media reports said on Saturday.
Narinder Singh is contemplating standing in his father's place and contest the October parliamentary elections in Afghanistan, Tolo News reported.
However, his candidature is subjected to clearance from the Independent Election Commission (IEC), as the body will now take a call whether to allow him to file his nomination, the deadline of which was June 14.
If allowed, Narinder will contest from the seat apportioned to minority community in Afghanistan.
Speaking to Indian daily The Indian Express, the junior Singh said, "Everyone has been telling me to contest. (Sikh leader in India) Sukhbir Singh Badal and other leaders have expressed solidarity with us (Afghan Sikhs). I will run for the elections. My father attained martyrdom while fighting for the community. We will follow the footsteps of the Guru."
The senior Singh was killed during a targeted blast in Afghanistan's Jalalabad city in Nangarhar province on July 1. Apart from Singh, 18 others, including 16 from the minority Sikh community, lost their lives.
The incident drew widespread condemnation.
In the aftermath of the incident, many, including a former chief of National Directorate of Security (NDS), Afghanistan's top spy agency, alluded to Pakistan-based ISI's role in the blast.
The ISI or Inter-Services Intelligence is the Pakistani equivalent of Afghanistan's NDS.
The blast has also chipped away at the confidence of the Sikh community residing in Afghanistan, many of whom are contemplating a return to India.
Speaking to the Reuters news agency, Tejvir Singh, the secretary of a national panel of Hindus and Sikhs, said: “I am clear that we cannot live here anymore.”
“Our religious practices will not be tolerated by the Islamic terrorists. We are Afghans. The government recognizes us, but terrorists target us because we are not Muslims,” Singh added.
The population of Sikhs and Hindus in Muslim-majority Afghanistan have also dwindled in the recent past. The country was home to almost 250,000 minorities during the 90s, as opposed to less than 300 families left now.
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