Taliban removes 'Nishan sahib' flag from Afghanistan's Gurdwara Thala Sahib: Reports

The Taliban has removed ‘Nishan Sahib,’ a Sikh religious flag from the roof of a gurdwara in the Chamkani area of Paktia province in eastern Afghanistan. The Gurdwara Thala Sahib holds huge historic significance as it was visited by the founder of the Sikh religion, Sri Guru Nanak Dev. Several social media posts and media reports have shown the visuals of the holy place without the religious flag. However, the reports have not yet been verified and the government response is also awaited.

The reports of the removal of Nishan Sahib from the gurdwara in the Chamkani area came after just last week, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) called on the central government and the Afghanistan government to ensure the safety of Sikhs living in the country as Taliban continues its offensive. SGPC is the body responsible for the management of gurdwaras. As per reports, SGPC chief secretary Harjinder Singh Dhami had even warned that the security and safety of the Sikh community living in Afghanistan could be endangered, asking the Centre to intervene. 

Taliban reimposes repressive laws

Since capturing several new areas in Afghanistan, the Taliban have re-imposed repressive laws and other retrograde policies on women that defined its iron fist rule from 1996 to 2001, including enforcing their version of Islamic Sharia law. As per news agency ANI, Frud Bezhan and Mustafa Sarwar wrote in Gandhara that the re-imposition of such repressive measures on Afghan women is the new brutal reality of tens of thousands of females who are presently living in areas, now captured by the Taliban. 

Decades ago, when the Taliban had conquered Afghanistan, the insurgent group had forced the women to cover themselves from head to toe. Bezhan and Sarwar wrote that the Taliban also forced women to limit education and required each female to be accompanied by a male relative when outdoors. Even though the Afghan government had removed most of the repressive laws, the measures have returned under the control of the extremist group as the militants continue to gain ground and the Afghan military appeared weak. The re-imposition of such laws came despite the Taliban claiming repeatedly that it has changed its ways.

"Before, I could go to the market alone to buy groceries," said Monira, a 26-year-old woman from the Shirin Tagab district in the northwestern province of Faryab now captured by Taliban. "I could go to the hairdressers. I could wear my hair up."

IMAGE: AP