Afghan minority seeks home in India
More than 120 Afghan Hindu and Sikh refugees have received citizenship in their ancestral homeland, thanks to strong support from their community and the Indian government.
NEW DELHI, India, December 13 (UNHCR) - Mention Afghan refugees, and most people think of the ethnic Pashtuns in Pakistan or the Tajiks and Hazaras in Iran. But beyond Afghanistan's neighbouring countries, an Afghan minority is thriving in India through self-help and government support.
India is home to some 9,200 Afghan refugees, among them 8,500 Hindus and Sikhs who call the country their ancestral homeland.
"Our ancestors first went to Afghanistan during the time of King Ranjit Singh in Lahore [during the 19th Century], when it was still part of India. Many others fled from Lahore to Afghanistan during partition in 1947 as it was unsafe to go back to India," explained Manohar Singh, a founder member of the Khalsa Diwan Welfare Society for Afghan Hindus and Sikhs in the Indian capital, New Delhi.
In eastern Afghanistan, the community had farm lands, vineyards, big houses and a thriving business community. "We were just 2 percent of the population in Jalalabad, but we controlled a large part of the economy," recalled Singh.
However, they were forced to flee Afghanistan as early as 1978. "Some of our elders left during the communist regime. Others from places like Laghman and Ghazni left in the early 1990s under the mujahideen," he added, noting that they lost 95 percent of their property. "I returned to Jalalabad in 1993 to check on my land but found it occupied by warlords. I was forced to give it up."
Today, Singh is an active part of his community in India. When not tending to his electronics business, he works at the Khalsa Diwan Welfare Society to empower Afghan Hindus and Sikhs. The society provides skills training and financial assistance and is funded by 550 Afghan shopkeepers and factory owners through monthly contributions. The staff are volunteers and the services are free.
At Khalsa Diwan's centre in West Delhi, the community has taken over computer classes previously funded by UNHCR. Four such classes are offered daily for different ages and levels. Graduates from the course teach other students about word processing, Excel spreadsheets and desktop publishing.
Sewing classes supply manpower to tailor shops in the neighbourhood. Among the apprentices is Simran, 20, who came to Delhi when she was four years old. "I make clothes for my family, not for sale," she said. "I got married recently. My husband is in Germany and I hope to join him soon."
Khalsa Diwan also pays the fees of 680 needy students in 28 local schools in West Delhi. Those who need extra help can attend after-school tuition and English-language classes, some of them taught by DAFI scholars funded by the German government. "Are there schools in Afghanistan?," one of the girls asked. Half the class was born in India and has never seen Afghanistan.
And they probably never will. "I often dream that I'm still in Jalalabad," said Singh, now a father of four daughters and a son. "But the situation is very bad, women can't even go out. How can we return?"
Thankfully, there's a solution in sight. The Indian government has agreed that after 12 years of residency - the standard under the citizenship law - Afghan Hindu and Sikh refugees can apply for Indian citizenship.
The authorities also agreed in 2005 on certain mechanisms to facilitate this process. Over 120 Afghan Hindus and Sikhs have so far been naturalized and another 4,000 have expressed interest.
Khalsa Diwan helps to refer interested parties to UNHCR's implementing partner, the Socio-Legal Information Centre (SLIC), which runs three centres in Delhi to counsel the refugees, fill in forms and follow up on naturalization procedures. It's a long process, but SLIC hopes that all eligible Afghan Hindus and Sikhs would have lodged their applications by the end of 2008 and that Indian citizenship can be acquired shortly afterwards.
Thanks to the authorities' support and the community's strong self-help spirit, this Afghan minority may finally be able to find a durable solution and a lasting home in India.
By Vivian Tan in New Delhi, India
Related news and stories
Women-run businesses in Afghanistan dealt a blow by deepening restrictions
UNHCR launches new appeal for Afghan refugees and hosts, urging partners to stay the course
I had to flee for my education, but refused to leave other Afghan girls to their fate
Former refugee, now volunteer teacher, helps other Afghan girls get an education
Families struggle for survival during Afghanistan's coldest winter in a decade
Afghan women affected by Taliban bans on work and study fear for their futures
Your search for « new delhi » matched 412 results. Displaying page 23 of 46 pages.
-
2010 NGO Partner Profile in Brief
1 Jun 2010 ... ... CARITAS India 1 Ashok Place, Gole Dakhanna New Delhi India E-mail: Web: Tel: Fax: HISTORY; PURPOSE Caritas India was established in the year 1962 with the vision - "Formation of a just and sustaining ...... -
UNHCR Global Appeal 2009 (update) - South Asia regional overview
1 Dec 2008 ... ... Toys and clothes distributed to refugee children from Myanmar in India. UNHCR manages a women’s protection clinic in New Delhi which provides a safe, convenient and confidential place for refugee ...... -
UNHCR Global Report 2006 - South Asia Subregional Overview
1 Jun 2007 ... ... The ongoing profiling of all Myanmar refugee women and girls at the Women’s Protection Clinic in New Delhi helped to identify those at risk of sexual and other types of violence, provide them with ...... -
No. 38: Political participation of refugees in their country of nationality
Nov 2018 ... ... of Refugees, 31 December 1966, as adopted on 24 June 2001 at the AALCO's 40th Session, New Delhi – see also, Notes, Comments and Reservations Made by the Member States of AALCO, Introductory ...... -
UNHCR's Evaluation Plan and Activities
7 Aug 2001 ... ... - July 2001 Evaluation of UNHCR’s policy on refugees in urban areas: a case study review of New Delhi (EPAU/2000/04) Minimum standards and essential needs in a protracted refugee situation: a ...... -
Regional Strategic Presentation Summary: Bureau for Asia and the Pacific
24 Feb 2006 ... ... Vocational training and language skills development accompanied by job- placement schemes for urban refugees in New Delhi have equally been suspended. Access to asylum-seekers and refugees in ...... -
UNHCR Global Report 2002 - UNHCR: An Overview - Funding UNHCR's Programmes
1 Jun 2003 ... ... Kuala Lumpur 1 Lilongwe 1 Ljubljana 1 Luanda 1 Lusaka 2 Maputo 1 Maungdaw 1 Moscow 2 Nairobi 4 New Delhi 1 New York 1 Phnom Penh 1 Prague 1 Pretoria 2 San José 1 Sana'a 1 Sarajevo 2 Tehran 1 Tripoli ...... -
The joint report on the HC's Structured Dialogue on NGO UNHCR Partnership
11 Dec 2012 ... ... Mapping is ongoing with the support of JIPS in a New Delhi pilot. Outreach and referrals could be considered as a “force multiplier.” He advocated for virtual outreach (the use of phones and web ...... -
UNHCR Global Report 2009 - Asia and the Pacific regional summary
1 Jun 2010 ... ... (ACDM), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation’s Disaster Management Centre in New Delhi, and the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). £ Offices in the region have ......