Sikh Advocacy Matters - August 2018 Update

Sikh advocacy matters.

It contributes to democracy, leads to global change, and builds capacity in our community. 

For Afghan Sikhs, it is the difference between life and death. 

On July 1, 2018, in Jalalabad Afghanistan, ISIS killed 19 Afghan Sikh and Hindu leaders in a suicide bombing. 

The WSO has been actively working with the Afghan Sikh community for the last few years now and have been warning Canadian officials of the dire situation for those in Afghanistan. We testified at the Government of Canada's Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration back in July 2016, prepared briefs and reports for MPs, MPPs, and MLAs, and are continuously supporting Afghan Sikhs still in Afghanistan and those that have temporarily fled to India.

The community has also taken up the cause and has been reaching out to elected officials during our call to action.

Just last month press conferences across Canada were held by 50 major Gurdwaras in Ontario and B.C., as well as community partners like the Bhullar Foundation and Khalsa Aid.

The ask from the community is simple:

1. Recognize Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan as vulnerable minorities and develop an appropriate plan of action to directly evacuate them from their current situation without requiring them to first go to a third country.
2. Fast-track the files of the 65 Afghan Sikh & Hindu refugee families who have been privately sponsored and whose files are under process.