Mission Afghanistan : Gripping Documentary on Minorities

[PBN]

An excellent documentary by an Afghan Sikh who goes back to his birthplace after decades to discover his past and the historical Gurdudwaras and Mandirs of Sikhs and Hindus respectfully. Interaction with the locals of past friends who've moved abroad and the plight of the poor people. Interesting watch [ame=

[PBN]

There is fear and desperation in their empty eyes. They have no livelihood and no work; and their growing children receive no education. Their daughters do not have much hope of finding suitable matches; and they are not certain where the next meal would come from. Many women and children live in Gurdwaré, Sikh place of worship relying on free kitchen And so, a young adventurous Afghan Sikh, Pritpal Singh, who had left Afghanistan 2 decades ago, set out from the UK to document the suffering of fellow Afghan Sikhs and Hindus communities in Afghanistan. The film "MISSION AFGHANISTAN by an Afghan" portrays the life and hardships of minorities in War-torn Afghanistan." Those who could afford it, left the country. Those left behind have hardly any means of support. They have no present and no future. These are Sikh women with children, widows and families left behind in a war-riven Afghanistan. Together with the Hindu community, their numbers are dwindling, as they live from day to day in many towns in Afghanistan. The situation of women is made worse because this is a conservative country where women are confined to walled enclosures and cannot go out to work. They cannot even dispose off their dead with dignity. Even Gurdwaré of great historical significance are in a state neglect and disrepair. The country has been torn apart by war for decades and peace is not in sight when the Americans, British and other foreign troops leave. For minorities like the Sikhs and Hindus, the situation is quite hopeless. As a Sikh lady points out in the documentary, they cannot just depend on short term handouts by generous Sikhs from abroad. The need is for sustained support projects which set up schools and also provide work for the poorer Sikhs in Afghanistan. Much can be done by the more prosperous business Afghan Sikhs who are doing well in Sikh diaspora countries like the UK, Germany, India, UAE & US. Funded by Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar, Southall (UK), Pritpal had only a very limited budget. The main advantage of this low budget but professionally produced documentary was that, with one local cameraman, and dressed as an Afghan fluent in Farsi & Hindko, Pritpal was able to merge and mix with communities, and keep a low profile in a highly dangerous environment. Travelling on mined countryside roads, strewn with destroyed army vehicles, he was able to film remote places and intermingle with communities in a war zone. This is a country where tourists make attractive targets for hostage-taking by terrorists, and filming crews have to travel with convoys. Pritpal returned from this dangerous mission with, in his words, "The treasure of well over 1500 photographs and films of key historical Gurdwaré, Mandir & Mosques of Afghanistan - something which has never been done in past!" He travelled to Kabul, Jalalabad, Sorkhrod, Agha Sarai, Charikar, Salang and Ghazni. Truly, his mission to bring out the truth about the desperate condition of his fellow Sikhs in a country where their forefathers lived for thousands of years, is a remarkable achievement. He loves his country of birth and is concerned that "if they migrate to other countries, our history and our historical sites will vanish". It is a highly informative journalistic documentary. In Hindko, English, Farsi, Panjabi & Pashto with English subtitles. Written by Gurmukh Singh - Ret'd Principal, UK Civil Service

[PBN]

Pretty much those that can afford it have moved abroad...India, and other European countries. I didn't know there were so many Gurudwaras in Afghanistan. One of the Mandirs is 900+ years old as per the man in the video. Another thing is that the majority of the Siksh and Hindus can converse in Punjabi.

[panther]

Are they afghans or punjabies?

[Muloghonto]

Are they afghans or punjabies?

people who are citizens of Afghanistan are Afghans. Or have you Pakis still not stopped thinking in racist lines ?

[panther]

people who are citizens of Afghanistan are Afghans. Or have you Pakis still not stopped thinking in racist lines ?

:headshake: Jumping to conclusions.

[Muloghonto]

:headshake: Jumping to conclusions.

no, i am not. Except for a racist tilt, what other necessity is served by the question of whether he is an afghan by ethnicity (ie, pashtun) or afghan as in a citizen of afghanistan ? extrapolation and jumping to conclusion are not quite the same thing, is it ?

[panther]

no, i am not. Except for a racist tilt, what other necessity is served by the question of whether he is an afghan by ethnicity (ie, pashtun) or afghan as in a citizen of afghanistan ? extrapolation and jumping to conclusion are not quite the same thing, is it ?

Because I would like to know ok

[Muloghonto]

Because I would like to know ok

What is the basis of your enquiry, if not a racist query. Dont state the obvious- you ask a question because you would like to know. Duh. The question is, why ?

[panther]

What is the basis of your enquiry, if not a racist query. Dont state the obvious- you ask a question because you would like to know. Duh. The question is, why ?

Whether they are pushtuns/tajiks etc or they moved from pak/india to afg.

[Muloghonto]

Whether they are pushtuns/tajiks etc or they moved from pak/india to afg.

and what difference does it make if your family has been in afghanistan/pakistan for the last 50 years or 400 ? Does it make you any less or more paki if you've been paki for 3 generations or 30 ?! None of you guys (or us guys) have records anyways, you can't technically prove your family didnt come from anywhere else beyond the last 150 years max, same goes for 99.99% indians, pakis, bengalis, lankans, afghans, so this whole 'whether they moved from india to afg' is a moot question. Not a single pashtun can prove they have lived in the area for more than 150 years either, except for the royal families.

[PBN]

Are they afghans or punjabies?

Some of them claim to be ethnically Afghanis. Others may have migrated there at some point in the last 4 centuries from either modern day Pakistan or India. The Punjabi language is considered to be a liturgical language by the Sikhs and is thus taught in Gurudwaras.