PM Narendra Modi assures Afghan Hindu-Sikhs that India is their home.

On Saturday morning (February 19), a group of Afghan minority community members, including Sikhs and Hindus, paid a visit to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence. PM Modi informed them at the meeting, "(India) You are not a guest here; this is your home. Every Indian respects and loves you since India is your home "..

This is the first meeting of its kind, and it took place months after the Indian government evacuated some members of the Afghan minority group following the Taliban's control of the nation last year. During the hour-long meeting, PM recalled his 2015 address to the Afghan Parliament, saying that "everyone was thrilled to hear that he mentioned Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, and that he had seen him."

Hardeep Singh Puri, a Union minister, and Meenakshi Lekhi, a minister of state in the Ministry of External Affairs, were both present at the meeting. Minister Puri had, in a show of reverence, carried the Guru Granth Sahib, which had arrived from Afghanistan, on his head. Former Afghan President Haid Karzai wears an Afghan chapan (traditional garment) and so did the Prime Minister. PM Modi expressed gratitude to community members for the'respect' shown in the form of traditional dress and the Afghan traditional hat, saying, "This is a representation of an Afghan. President Karzai will be overjoyed if he sees this "

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August, India has become a second home for many Afghan minorities. Hundreds of trapped Indian nationals and Afghan minority group members were evacuated from the country last year as part of Operation Devi Shakti. Afghan Sikh organisations expressed their gratitude to the Indian government for its assistance last year.

Meanwhile, India is slated to send 50,000 MT of wheat to Afghanistan next week as part of a planned humanitarian aid package. Afghan trucks will transport the aid through Pakistani territory. Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, stated on Thursday, "We are dedicated to assisting Afghans in need of humanitarian assistance. We've mentioned it previously, and we've given information about pharmaceutical and vaccine shipments. The modalities for a 50,000-tonne wheat transport via Pakistan are nearing completion." On February 12, the Indian Embassy in Rome and the UN World Food Program formally signed an MoU for the distribution of wheat to Afghanistan.

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