The killing of at least two Sikhs by the Taliban in Pakistans North West Frontier Province caused shock and outrage in the community on Monday,with Sikh groups from India demanding attention of the international community and justice from the Pakistan government. They requested the Pakistan government to provide security to the lives and properties of the minority community there,especially in Peshawar and nearby areas where the Taliban are active. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh said the killings were a cowardly act and the international community should raise its voice against it. He said they had appealed to the Pakistani and Indian governments earlier to take steps to ensure safety of their community members but nothing was done. Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Avtar Singh Makkar said the dastardly killing showed the disregard Pakistan has for minority communities and their earlier pleas for their safety and security had fallen on deaf ears. SGPC members called up Sikh leaders in Pakistan and condoled the deaths. The community leaders in Pakistan on Monday called on the government to negotiate with the Taliban for the safe release of other Sikh traders who were abducted. Pakistan Minority Council chairman Sardar Bishon Singh and Pakistan Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Sardar Sham Singh said the federal and NWFP governments should hold talks with the Taliban for the release of the Sikhs still in their captivity. The Taliban had demanded Rs 30 million from the families of the abducted men and they started killing when they did not get the ransom, Sardar Bishon Singh was quoted by the PTI as saying. Sources said the deadline set by the Taliban expired on February 20. He said the Sikhs had secured the release of another member of the community who was kidnapped about six months ago by paying Rs 1.2 crore as ransom to the Taliban in Aurakzai Agency. But unfortunately we could not do the same in this case, he said. Syed Asif Hashmi,chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board,which is responsible for maintaining the shrines and properties of minorities,too asked the interior ministry to provide security to the Sikh community. Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said he requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take all diplomatic steps to force Pakistan to save the lives of Sikhs in Taliban captivity. The government should not sleep in this matter. Life of Sikhs should be protected, he said. With PTI inputs from Lahore India condemns attack,asks Pak for facts New Delhi India on Monday condemned the killing of at least two Sikh men by the Taliban in Pakistans North West Frontier Province and said such barbaric acts will take us back to the medieval times. It also said it has sought facts from Pakistan on the killings. However,there was no clear word on whether the issue will be raised during the talks between the Foreign Secretaries of the two countries,which are scheduled to held on November 25. (The) Government of India condemns this barbaric act, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna told reporters here. It was still not clear how many Sikhs were killed and the number of those still in their captivity. The PTI reported that the bodies of Jaspal Singh and Mahal Singh were found on Sunday. Another two to four Sikhs were still in Taliban captivity,it said. We condemn this barbaric act of Taliban who have taken into custody three of the Indian nationals. The message that I have received,which needs to be updated,is that one has been done away with and other two are in captivity. Violent methods will take us back to the medieval times, he said. Though Krishna described the Sikhs as Indian nationals which surprised many here,media reports from Pakistan have been saying that they were locals living in that area. In London,Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao also condemned the incident and said it has sought details from Pakistan. The beheading of two Sikhs is the most unfortunate and tragic (incident) and we have sought facts from Pakistan, she said. An estimated 10,000 Sikhs lived in the NWFP and in the tribal belt,till the Taliban imposed jiziya or religious tax on them last year. Most members of the community have since fled to cities across Pakistan. In May 2009,India had raised the issue of jiziya with Pakistan and had expressed displeasure. The Pakistan Foreign office had then said it was an internal matter of Pakistan. EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
