Kabul. August 29, 2005
Abrar Alvi
NRI press
NRI Sikhs in Kabul became very
upset with PM visit becauae
no attention was given to NRI sikhs and hindus who
were forced to flee the city during the civil war.
There are more than 175 sikh familis in Kabul and
4700 hundred Sikhs in Afghanistan
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit was laying
the foundation stone of Afghanistan's new Parliament,
a symbolic gesture to cement India's partnership with
Afghanistan.
India announces an additional $50 million to the
$500 million already pledged to the Afghan people.The
Sikh community feels let down or betrayed by both
the government in Kabul as well as by the Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh . He should have met the Sikhs and
listened to their problems.
Ravinder Singh. is the representative of the Hindu-
Sikh community in Afghanistan said, "The Karzai
government has a law which states when people come
back to Kabul from India their livelihood should also
be brought back".
Manmohan Singh returns from Afghanistan
New Delhi, August 29, 2005
IANS
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh returned here Monday
after a two-day visit to Afghanistan that saw the
cementing of strategic and economic ties between the
two countries.
Manmohan Singh, the first Indian prime minister to
visit Afghanistan in nearly three decades, and Afghan
President Hamid Karzai also decided on a joint strategy
to fight terrorism.
"I was always fascinated by Afghanistan. I am
very satisfied by the outcome of the visit,"
Manmohan Singh told reporters at a news conference
at the presidential palace in Kabul shortly before
his departure for New Delhi.
India announced an additional aid of $50 million
for the reconstruction of Afghanistan during Manmohan
Singh's visit. Earlier, it had pledged $500 million
to help rebuild the war-ravaged country.
The two countries also signed three pacts to cooperate
in healthcare, education and agriculture.
During his stay in Kabul, Manmohan Singh had talks
with Karzai and other Afghan leaders on the entire
gamut of bilateral and regional issues. Both countries
agreed to forge a new partnership for the 21st century.
On his arrival here, Manmohan Singh was received
by his cabinet colleagues, including Human Resource
Development Minister Arjun Singh and Steel Minister
Ram Vilas Paswan.