Three Sikhs beheaded by Pak Taliban

(Late tonight,a PTI report from Pakistan quoted sources as saying there was confusion on the exact numbers,that two men had been beheaded and others were being held hostage. It said the body of Jaspal Singh was found in Khyber while that of Mahal Singh was found in Orakzai Agency. Gurvinder Singh and Gurjit Singh,the sources said,were among those being held captive.)

The men had gone to the FATA area for some work but were held by Taliban groups who apparently asked them to convert to Islam. Sources said the information so far suggests that the men resisted the order and were then beheaded.

Later,their heads were sent to Bhai Joga Singh Gurudwara in Peshawar. The incident has shocked the small Sikh community in Peshawar.

This attack,sources said,comes in the backdrop of repeated threats to the Sikh community there to convert if they wanted to stay on. India has in the past taken up the issue of security of Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan. While the Pakistan government has been committed to providing security to minority groups,this incident has certainly made matters far more dangerous and sensitive.

The Haqqani group and factions of the Quetta Shura along with the Pakistan Taliban are active in these parts of Pakistan which border Afghanistan.

Last year,Taliban militants took over shops and homes of 35 Sikh families and arrested community leaders in Ferozkhel,Orakzai Agency.