The Sikhs in Afghanistan were proud of their resilience. Adhering to a strict code of conduct and a distinct identity within the Sikh community, their role had historically been that of protectors of the Sikh faith and community in a country that didn’t always welcome them.
A 200,000-strong presence in Afghanistan in the 1980s, by August 2021, the last remaining 300 followers had reason to be fearful, with the Taliban rapidly regaining territory and only days away from claiming the capital, Kabul, where their only place of worship or gurdwara, remained. Yet they were reportedly refusing offers of asylum.
