“Taliban’s Political Wing Leader, Suhail Shaheen, announced to The Hindu that the organization has formed a commission, in collaboration with the Justice Minister, aimed at returning properties to Hindu and Sikh individuals who were unlawfully deprived of their homes and businesses by powerful figures over past decades.”
“A senior official from the Taliban’s ‘Justice Ministry’ revealed on Monday that the group maintains ongoing communication with Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan who were displaced and had their properties seized by warlords. The official, in a written statement to The Hindu, affirmed the Taliban’s commitment to upholding the property rights of minority communities in Afghanistan. Emphasizing their dedication, the statement highlighted the Taliban’s specific focus on safeguarding the rights of Hindus and Sikhs within the nation.”
“Hafez Barakatullah Rasuli, spokesperson of the Taliban’s ‘Justice Ministry,’ announced that technical boards overseeing the identification and verification of usurped lands, operating under the commission’s supervision across central and provincial levels, remain in constant communication with Hindu and Sikh compatriots whose lands were unlawfully seized. Rasuli assured that properties would be returned to members of the Hindu and Sikh communities following a thorough process of identification and verification of their claims. This commitment underscores the Taliban’s ongoing efforts to address the grievances of minority groups affected by property seizures.
The Taliban’s restructuring of the Afghan justice system drew criticism in the past as it was perceived to be violative of the “due process of law”. However, recent proclamations from the ‘Justice Ministry’ regarding restoring the rights of the minority communities have drawn attention.The Taliban maintain that Hindus and Sikhs played a crucial role in maintaining commercial ties of the country with the region and that they served a unique purpose in the urban centres of Afghanistan till the 1980s when political disturbances prompted them to immigrate.
