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India deplores Taleban decree against Hindus

India Monday strongly deplored the Taleban decree imposing separate dress codes for Hindus in Afghanistan saying it was discriminatory and against the minorities.

"We absolutely deplore such orders which patently discriminate against minorities," an external affairs ministry spokesman told reporters in New Delhi.

The new Taleban decree requires Hindu women have to wear a yellow cloth and a Hindu household to hang a two-metre yellow cloth outside for easy identity.

The decree prohibits Hindus and Muslims from living in the same house, bars Hindus from constructing new prayer houses or places of worship and asks Hindu men to desist from wearing turbans.

"We have learnt that the Taleban have issued an order imposing fresh restrictions on Hindus in Afghanistan," the spokesman said observing "it is evidence further of the backward and unacceptable ideological underpinnings of the Taleban and justifies action that international community has taken in imposing sanctions against the Taleban."

India, Russia, US, Tajikistan and some other countries had co-sponsored a resolution which was approved by the United Nations Security Council clamping sanctions against the Taleban.

Asked whether India had been singled out by the Taleban for having spoken out strongly against it at different forums, the spokesman recalled that the international community had condemned the demolition of the Bamiyan Buddha statues in Afghanistan.

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