Pajhwok Afghan News (translated by RAWA), February 9, 2007

Afghan Hindu families are forced to live in temples

Hindus are arguing not only they lack shelter but are also deprived of human rights and civil rights including the deprivation of education

Roohullah Aman

Kundoz: A number of Hindus in the Kundoz province lacking shelter in the meantime claim that some of their residents have been occupied by powerful people.

They say that the from two to three years from now, some of the Hindu families are compelled to live in the temples due to lack of shelter and financial problems and no authority has till now considered their horrible situation.

One of the aged men among the Hindus was a resident of the first district in the city of Kundoz, (who was refused to tell his name) told the Pajhwok News, "It is two years that my eight family members are living in this condition in the temple because our house was taken by a commander who claimed the house as his property by presenting fake documents, saying he bought the house."

He did not mention the name of commander because of the possible risks but he told that despite the repetitious contacts, the commander tells him that you are free to go to Karzai.

He added that he petitioned to the province officials several times but he did not get any result.He says that in this kind of injustice situation that they cannot take back their private property, the government should at least deliver some pieces of land or shelters.

For many years, the Hindus lived in the centre of the districts of Imam Saheb and Khan Abad in the province of Kundoz and possessed moveable and immovable properties and many of them fled to other countries during the past years of fighting.In the present, approximately fifty families are usually resident in the city of Kundoz and a few are in the districts of Imam Saheb and Khan Abad. Hindus are usually working in different businesses like dealing in cloth, grocery, medicine, homeopathic pharmacy and trade.

Mohan Singh, who introduced himself as the representative of Hindus and famous by the name of Hakim Lala 'Dilsoz' ('dilsoz' meaning sympathetic) told the Pajwok News that twenty years the number of Hindus in Kundoz reached to 200 families but due to the severe situation they fled to Pakistan and India and during the Taliban's time, they received warnings to go to India.

Mohan Singh says that most of them sold their properties in very low prices, some of them gave it on rent and some just left it like that and from four years from now, they have returned to their country and are most of them without shelter.Hakim Lala with his twelve family members lives in a rented house of rent 5,000 Afghanis in the city of Kundoz and says that nearly ten families who cannot afford the rent of a house are living in temples.Lala Dilsoz added that twenty years ago, a place in a land of two hectares in the area of Kuhna Qala in the fourth district of Kundoz city by the name of ‘Hindu sozan’ (meaning burning of Hindus) has now been converted into a living place and they are forced to take their dead bodies to Jalalabad and Kabul.He also added that except for returning their rights in the society they do not want any place or position and are demanding the government to just pay a little attention to their homelessness and awful condition. In this situation, Engineer Muhammad Omar, governor of Kundoz province approves that a number of houses belonging to Hindus have been grabbed by others and says that they, being the real citizens of Afghanistan, should be treated just like the other people and according to the constitution should be given their due rights.

The governor of Kundoz did not mention the names of the grabbers but ensured that they will consider this issue officially through court.

But the Hindus are arguing that not only do they lack house and shelters but are also deprived from the human rights and civilian rights including the deprivation of education and school that their children are suffering.

Mohan Singh says that the culture and society has changed a lot today, especially in the Taliban's rule when they were driven out and are feeling to be abused.

He added that three decades back, they studied in school with the Muslims but the situation and condition of today do not allow their children to go to school.

The responsible authorities of Human Rights Commission said they are not aware about Hindus situation. They will follow the mutual understanding with the government authorities as it is their duty and will investigate this problem in the near future. Muhammad Zahir Zafri, the head of the regional office of the Independent Human Rights Commission of Northeast zone told the Pajhwok News that the constitution has declared equal rights for all the citizens of the country even if they are in minority they deserve freedom and should be provided with the material and moral affluences.

Zafri added that in the present situation the grabbing of the properties of people by the powerful men is the main type of human rights violations for the regional office but without securing true social justice in the society, it is very difficult to solve these problems.

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