Taliban removes ‘Nishan Sahib’ from historical Gurdwara in Afghanistan

Jalandhar:  The Taliban fighters have allegedly removed ‘Nishan Sahib’, a Sikh religious flag, from a historical gurdwara in the Paktia province in eastern Afghanistan.
According to images being tweeted on social media, it is believed that Nishan Sahib was taken off from the roof of Gurdwara Thala Sahib in the Chamkani area of the Paktia province. The Nishan Sahib is the Sikh flag flown high near Gurudwaras and signifies the pride as well as the identity of the religion.
The Gurdwara Thala Sahib in the Chamkani is a historic worship place for Sikhs and it is looked after by local Sikhs and Hindus. The Gurdwara was in news last year when a Sikh named Nidan Singh was kidnapped by the Taliban from its premises. He was later released by the group following the intervention of the Afghanistan government and Sikh community elders.
Sikhs and SGPC have condemned the incident and termed it as an act of desecration of a historic Sikh place of worship.
“Sikhs all across the world are hurt by the Taliban removing Nishan Sahib from historical Gurdwara Thala Sahib, which was visited by Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Taliban’s action reflects grave threats to Sikhs’ religious freedom in Afghanistan, ” President, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management committee wrote on his Twitter handle requesting the intervention of Indian authorities into the matter.
The President of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) Bibi Jagir Kaur also condemned this incident and appealed to the BJP-led Union government to ensure the safety of Sikh shrines in Afghanistan.