Afghan Hindus and Sikhs by Inderjeet Singh

Can an Afghan be a Hindu or even a Sikh? History says yes. Islam entered Afghanistan in the 7th century. The Hindu Shahi rulers of Kabulistan were replaced only by the end of the 10th century by the Ghaznavides, who maintained Hindu forces.

For three-quarters of the 13th century, the pagan Mongol ruled the region. Timur the lame fought with the Jats in Central Asia in the 14th century. Babur, who captured Kabul in 1504, refers to Kabul as Hindustan’s own market.

Further, Guru Nanak visit in the early 16th century laid the foundation of Sikhism in Afghanistan. Several documents record the native Hindus and Sikhs in the Afghan society and their thriving trade.

But today, almost 99 percent of Afghan Hindus and Sikhs have left the country. The khurasan of yore accommodated Hindus and Sikhs as its own, yet today's Afghanistan refuses to see them as natives. Will history claim justice for the original 'lalas'? Afghan Hindus and Sikhs narrates the history of their rich contribution and turbulent journey in the last millennium.