Before the Taliban entered Kabul, Sikhs from India ruled the roost at the money exchange market at Serai Sehjadah, controlling 90 per cent of the trade. With the Taliban assuming power, the atrocities on minorities, especially Hindus, grew severe by the day forcing the Sikhs flee the country and reducing their share in the exchange market to just one per cent. "All the money exchangers fled to India fearing for their lives," said Inder Singh Majboor, a granthi at the Gurudwara Singh Sabha here, on the outskirts of the city. "Around 8,500 Sardars went out of Afghanistan, mainly to India, after Taliban came in," he said, adding only the poor Sikhs, who did not have enough money, were left behind. Asked why he had added 'Majboor' to his name, he said, "I was born in Afghanistan, studied Gurmukhi here in this Gurudwara, mixed with the local populace and liked the name. But, anyway, we are 'Majboor' (without option) to stay here."
Inder needed a local interpreter as he speaks 'Dari', the local language.
Asked what happened to the houses of those who fled the country, his assistant Piara Singh said the houses were left under the watch of the local people.
"But the Taliban soldiers forcibly occupied them and we could do nothing about it" he said.
"But the new government is good. It has assured us that whenever the people who had fled the country came back, the govt would get their houses vacated and give it back to them," Piara Singh added. Bureau Report