Cards for Afghan Hindus likely
 

By Syed Talat Hussain Dawn

ISLAMABAD, June 13: The Taliban are likely to modify the controversial decree ordering Hindus living in areas under their control to wear distinct clothe badges, diplomatic sources told Dawn.

"There is a likelihood that instead of making the Hindu population of Afghanistan wear clothe badges, the Taliban would issue them special identity cards, which they would carry on them all the time and show them on demand to the law enforcement agencies," the sources said.

The Taliban decision of making it mandatory for the Hindus to wear yellow clothe stickers had created an international uproar and attracted international condemnation. The move was termed as discriminatory against the minorities.

The Taliban, however, had defended their decision by claiming that it was meant to save the Hindus from needless trouble at the hands of the moral squads on the streets. Another explanation was that some of the erring Afghans pretended to be Hindus to escape on-the-spot punishments for not observing the Islamic code of conduct. That, however, did not assuage international concerns as most of the western countries, besides India, continued to equate the move with the policies of Hitler's Germany towards the Jews. Pakistan too had condemned the action.

The sources said that the Taliban would now change the requirement for the Hindu population to wear clothe badges and institute more standard forms of distinguishing Hindu minorities from the general Afghan population since this policy measure was never finally approved by Mullah Umar, Taliban's supreme leader. "It was just a suggestion announced first by Wali Muhammad of the Ministry For Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue, and was never an irreversible edict," the sources said.