Sikh man deported to Afghanistan returned to UK
An Afghan Sikh worships at a temple in Kabul. The Sikh community in the country has dwindled to a few hundred. Photograph: Ahmad Masood/Reuters Baljit Singh was jailed in Kabul, accused of falsely claiming to be Afghan, and says he was tricked into converting to Islam A Sikh man who was jailed in Kabul for "falsely claiming" to be an Afghan when he was deported from the UK, and says he was bullied and tricked into making a televised conversion to Islam, has been flown back to Birmingham by the British government. The case of 23 year-old Baljit Singh highlights concerns about the justice system and the status of religious minorities in Afghanistan as the withdrawal of western troops gathers pace. Singh was deported from the UK nearly two years ago and was spotted by Afghan government officials as soon as he stepped off the chartered aeroplane that carried the failed asylum seekers, marked out by his distinctive Sikh turban. He was taken aside for questioning and th...