Two Sikhs Running In Afghanistan Elections

Aman Singh · #1 (**permalink**) 25-Aug-2010, 01:58 AM

Two Sikhs Running In Afghanistan Elections
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sikh-news/31985-two-sikhs-running-in-afghanistan-elections.html

A Sikh-Afghan woman, Dr. Anarkali Kaur Honaryar, is contesting election as an independent candidate in the election for the lower house of Afghanistan's parliament.

Anarkali Kaur, a dentist, is fighting the election against a former mujahideen commander. A rights activist, who is known for championing the cause of women, she is a well-known face in the country of her birth [Afghanistan] as well as abroad for her work in the field of education and women's rights.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=31985

In addition to her, another Sikh-Afghan, Pritpal Singh, who runs a medical shop, is also in the fray in Kabul.
Anarkali and Pal are running for positions in Afganistan's Wolesi Jirga, the 250-seat lower house of parliament, for which elections are scheduled for September 18, 2010.

The posters of Sikh candidates during election campaign in Kabul speak volumes about the resilience of the local Sikh community.

The Sikh diaspora is an amazing phenomenon and much before other Indian communities, the hardworking and enterprising Sikhs had reached the shores of America, Canada and Britian.
That the Sikhs not just survived the Taliban era and the US-led bombings but also the economically harsh conditions in the war-ravaged country, is no less than a wonder.

Now the Sikhs, despite their small population in the country, are playing an important part in building Afghan society and this is best illustrated by the example of Anarkali Kaur and Pritpal Singh.

All the Sikhs in Afghanistan are not migrants from Indian Punjab. In fact, there are Sikh families who have been here since ages. Till recently, Sikhs ran businesses in Kandahar, Kabul and other major cities.

It is noteworthy that Sikhs have been part of the Afghan landscape for two centuries. Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who ruled large parts of Punjab and Kashmir, had his empire stretching into modern Afghanistan.

Anarkali Kaur wanted to become a pilot but then became a doctor. She was part of the Loya Jirga that elected the interim government after the Taliban-regime in Kabul. Radio Free Europe's Afghanistan chapter gave her the Person of the Year Award in the year 2009.

August 24, 2010