INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) on Saturday condemned the attack earlier in the day on a Sikh temple in Kabul city that resulted in
the death of two people. Zabihullah Mujahid, the IEA&s spokesman, said in a tweet the authorities condemn &in the strongest terms the
attack of the enemies of the homeland against the Hindu shrine in Kabul.The IEA also expressed its &deepest condolences to the families of
the victims of the incident& and said the &perpetrators of this crime will be caught and punished&.This comes after the Sikh Gurdwara in
Kart-e-Parwan was attacked at about 6.30am
A standoff between the attackers and IEA forces lasted a few hours until the situation was brought under control. Foreign countries and
organizations have also condemned the incident including the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Pakistan and
India. According to a statement by Pakistan&s foreign ministry, &Pakistan strongly condemns the terrorist attack on a Sikh Gurdwara in
Kabul today, which has reportedly resulted in the loss of precious lives and injuries to many others while causing destruction of
property.& Pakistan is seriously concerned at the recent spate of terrorist attacks on places of worship in Afghanistan
Yesterday (Friday), terrorists targeted the Imam Sahib Mosque in Kunduz, killing and injuring many worshippers
These acts of terrorism targeting religious places are utterly repugnant,& Pakistan foreign ministry&s statement said. We express strong
solidarity with the people of Afghanistan and support all efforts of the Afghan authorities in fighting the menace of terrorism and ensuring
the protection of all their citizens,& read the statement. India also reacted to the incident and said early Saturday while the attack was
underway that it was &closely monitoring the situation&. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar condemned the incident and tweeted: &The
cowardly attack on Gurdwara Karte Parwan should be condemned in the strongest terms by all.There are at least 150 Afghan Sikhs still in the
country but have been seeking visas from India for the past few months, Indian Express reported. Locally, both former president Hamid
Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, former chairman of the high council of national reconciliation (HCNR), condemned the attack and called it a
terrorist incident. Karzai called for the start of a national dialogue to establish long-term peace and stability, and pleaded for the
country to be saved from suffering through the unity of all Afghans.Abdullah meanwhile said: &I strongly condemn today&s heinous - cowardly
terrorist attack on our Sikh community Gurdwara in Karta-e-Parwan.& UNAMA in turn stated that all attacks on civilians must stop
immediately. UNAMA strongly condemns today&s attack on a Sikh temple in Kabul, which is reported to have resulted in numerous casualties
Attacks on civilians must cease immediately,& the mission tweeted. UNAMA also called for the protection of all minorities in
Afghanistan.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, however, the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISIS-K/Daesh)
has in the past claimed responsibility for attacks on mosques and minorities across the country.The post IEA condemns attack on Sikh
Gurdwara in Kabul first appeared on Ariana News.
