Taliban Beheads 3 Brave Sikhs Heros in Pakistan who Defiantly Refused to Convert to Islam

kds1980 · #1 (**permalink**) 21-Feb-2010, 22:28 PM

Peshawar/Islamabad: Two Sikhs who were kidnapped over a month back have been beheaded by the Pakistani Taliban in the country's restive tribal belt in a brutal act by the militants.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/south-asia/29303-taliban-beheads-3-brave-sikhs-heros.html

According to uncofirmed reports, the Taliban had dumped the heads of the two victims at a Gurudwara in Peshawar.

Some more members of the minority community are still in the custody of the rebels. The body of Jaspal Singh was found in the Khyber tribal region, located a short distance from the provincial capital of Peshawar, while the body of Mahal Singh was found in the Aurakzai Agency, sources told PTI on Sunday night.

There was confusion about the total number of Sikhs who were kidnapped for ransom from the Bara area of Khyber Agency by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. A source said four Sikhs were abducted while another report said the total number of kidnapped persons was six.

The Sikhs were kidnapped 34 days ago and the Taliban had demanded Rs 30 million as ransom for their release. Two of the kidnapped Sikhs were beheaded after the expiry of the deadline for the payment of the ransom, sources said.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=29303

Gurvinder Singh and Gurjit Singh are still in the custody of the militants, sources said. The kidnapping occurred in an area where there the government has virtually no control and the militants are in a dominant position, sources said.

A sizeable number of Sikhs lived in the tribal belt, particularly Aurakzai Agency, till the Taliban imposed jiziya or religious tax on them last year. Most members of the community then fled to cities across Pakistan.

An estimated 10,000 Sikhs live in the NWFP and tribal areas, descendants of those who chose not to move to India during the partition in 1947.

In 2009, the Taliban in Pakistan s North West Frontier Province (NWFP) forced the minority Sikh population to pay it lakhs of rupees as religious tax.

The Sikh community has been facing an uncertain future after fleeing fighting between security forces and the Taliban.

roab1 · #2 (**permalink**) 22-Feb-2010, 00:55 AM

may waheguru bless them with strength in these tough times. once again the bubble which sikhs in india and diaspora live in has burst. .

ac_marshall · #3 (**permalink**) 22-Feb-2010, 01:23 AM

May the souls of the slain innocent Sikh Brothers rest in peace. The almighty alone knows when will these barbaric activities fueled by hatred and intolerance end. I pray the almighty to bless and defend the innocents in the tribal region who are under the grip of the hatred filled inhuman beasts.

kee_jaana_mein_kaun · #4 (**permalink**) 22-Feb-2010, 01:41 AM

Taliban is no one's friend,atleast not the Sikhs .

Few minutes back Zee News Uttar Pradesh interviewed Makkar and Sarna.

Makkar said the Pak govt may not be in control of the situation and that even their own(muslims) people were being killed so something should be done.SGPC might send a delegation to the "effected areas" to know the situation.Further he said the various govts only believe in reaction after some thing has been done.He criticized the Taliban and called for strict action against it.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=29303

Sarna also severely criticized the Taliban and said that nobody is safe there .He went further to suggest that Taliban problem has become an international problem and that India,Pak,Afghanistan and USA should build a combined force to take on the Taliban as Taliban was killing so many innocents including Muslims also daily.He said it is a humanitarian issue.He said if some assistance is required from Delhi committee it is ready to help.Sarna said SGPC delegation might go to Nankana Sahib and Lahore where Sikhs are living properly but that delegation may not be able to visit Taliban areas for which a special permit is required.

kee_jaana_mein_kaun · #5 (**permalink**) 22-Feb-2010, 01:52 AM

CNN IBN is very quick to call people in Pakistan when some problem occurs between India and Pakistan but it should have done the same as soon as it got this news.It should have called Hamid Mir who is a reputed Pakistani journalist of Geo TV to know the exact situation.

What is coming out from various sources is that 2 Sikhs Jaspal Singh and Mehal Singh have been killed and atleast 3 or more Sikhs are in Taliban custody.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=29303

May their souls rest in peace and hope Waheguru gives strength to those in custody of Taliban and their family members including those of the deceased strength to overcome this assault on our community.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=29303

The Sikh kaum's situation is like that of being between the devil and the deep blue sea.

Syanay nu ishaara hee kaafi hai.

Narayanjot Kaur · #6 (**permalink**) 22-Feb-2010, 02:39 AM

The Taliban has to be taken out completly - no if's, and's, or but's about it. The same way a strong dose of a strong antibiotic is needed to clear out a pervasive bacterial infection. Too light a dose and the resisters only become more resistant. And that is exactly what happened when a government free zone for the Taliban was created last year. They did not go away.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=29303

But political interests being what they are, it has been next to impossible to face this unpleasant reality. Of course one makes enemies by choosing a tough stand over appeasement. But what other choices are there? Thus we see what we see and we get what we get.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=29303

Yes, peace and blessings of Waheguru to the victims' families, and to all the brothers and sisters who are looking at a bleak future.

Soul_jyot · #7 (**permalink**) 22-Feb-2010, 04:33 AM

source:http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?674979

Taliban Beheads 2 Sikhs in Pakistan

A Muhammad and Rezaul H Laskar/ Peshawar/Islamabad | Feb 21, 2010

Two Sikhs who were kidnapped for ransom were found beheaded by the Pakistani Taliban in the country's restive tribal belt in yet another brutal act by the militants.

Some more members of the minority community are still in the custody of the rebels.

The body of Jaspal Singh was found in the Khyber tribal region, located a short distance from the provincial capital of Peshawar, while the body of Mahal Singh was found in the Aurakzai Agency, sources told PTI tonight.

There was some confusion about the total number of Sikhs who were kidnapped for ransom from the Bara area of Khyber Agency by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. A source said four Sikhs were abducted while another report said the total number of kidnapped persons was six.

The Sikhs were kidnapped 34 days ago and the Taliban had demanded Rs 30 million as ransom for their release. Two of the kidnapped Sikhs were beheaded after the expiry of the deadline for the payment of the ransom, sources said.

According to a North West Frontier Province(NWFP) minister Bashir Ahmed, three Sikhs having business in Federally Administered Tribal Areas(FATA) were kidnapped by Taliban and one of them was "slaughtered" by them. "They (Taliban) sent his body to Peshawar," he said.

Gurvinder Singh and Gurjit Singh are still in the custody of the militants, sources said.

The kidnapping occurred in an area where there the government has virtually no control and the militants are in a dominant position, sources said.

An estimated 10,000 Sikhs lived in the NWFP and in the tribal belt, particularly Aurakzai Agency, till the Taliban imposed ‘jiziya’ or religious tax on them last year. Most members of the community then fled to cities across Pakistan.

Brig Mehmood Shah, a former security secretary of FATA, described the Taliban act as horrendous and said it must be condemned in the strongest terms.

A letter, found with Jaspal's body, warned his relatives and other Sikh locals against disclosing the case to the media, the dawn news reported.

It said the minority faced threats of suicide attacks if the details of the beheading and kidnapping were revealed to the media or security forces.

Government Shocked

The reports from Pakistan have been received with shock in New Delhi but there was no immediate comment by the government which was ascertaining the details.

"We are aware of these media reports. If it is true then it's a matter of shock. We are ascertaining the facts," official sources told.

According to unconfirmed reports, the Taliban had dumped the heads of the two victims at a Gurudwara in Peshawar.

An estimated 10,000 Sikhs live in the NWFP and tribal areas, descendants of those who chose not to move to India during the partition in 1947.

In 2009, the Taliban in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP) forced the minority Sikh population to pay it lakhs of rupees as religious tax.
The Sikh community has been facing an uncertain future after fleeing fighting between security forces and the Taliban.

SGPC asks PM to act

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has strongly condemned the beheading of Sikhs in Pakistan and asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take up the matter with his counterpart in Pakistan.

SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar told PTI, "The SGPC and entire Sikh community strongly condemns the brutal murder of Sikhs at Peshawar in Pakistan by Taliban."

He asked the Prime Minister to take up the matter with Pakistan government and ask it to provide adequate security to the minority Sikh community as they were not safe in Pakistan.

He also demanded that the Prime Minister make immediate arrangements for an SGPC delegation to visit Pakistan to take stock of the situation.

Makkar said the SGPC firmly stood with the Sikhs living in Peshawar and all over Pakistan and was always ready to extend all possible help to them.

BJP says UPA is callous

BJP today strongly condemned the beheading of Sikhs and termed the attitude of Indian government in the matter as "callous" for not putting diplomatic pressure in time to get the abducted Sikhs released.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=29303

"BJP strongly condemns this dastardly massacre of minority Sikh community in Pakistan. This shows how minorities are treated with contempt in Pakistan. They were not given any security," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

He also criticised the Indian government, alleging it was being soft towards Pakistan while dealing with such matters.

"What is truly worrisome is the callous attitude of the Government of India. These Sikhs were abducted for sometime. What kind of diplomatic pressure did India bring on Pakistan to secure their release," Prasad said.

Initial reports said some Sikhs had been abducted by the Taliban in Pakistan for ransom.

While two were beheaded, some were said to be still in the custody of the Taliban.

"India has almost begged for a dialogue with Pakistan and yet is so cruelly indifferent to the barbaric terrorism being meted out to the innocent Sikh community in Pakistan," Prasad said.

Mai Harinder Kaur · #8 (**permalink**) 22-Feb-2010, 06:03 AM

Perhaps next they will brick up young children? The more it changes, the more it stays the same.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=29303

This is a continuation of Sikh history from almost the beginning. It is horrible - and not unexpected. I wonder if these two were given the option of converting to Islam? That is the usual pattern, I believe. To die for what you believe in is a high honour granted to few. Their families and their community can be proud of these young men.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=29303

Now...what are we going to do about it? Do we really trust the government of India to protect Sikh interests? Do we believe the crocodile tears being shed for our dead brothers by the GOI? This again brings to the fore the need for our own Sikh state.

Waheguru bless the families of the dead and those still being held.

Tejwant Singh · #9 (**permalink**) 22-Feb-2010, 06:33 AM

Any innocent people killed is not a good thing and Muslims are famous for killing each other and other people. The sad thing is that innocent people are being killed indiscriminately by these zealots irrespective of their hue,creed or faith. They are even using young Muslim kids as suicide bombers. Let's never forget the basic Sikh tenet-Sarbhat the bhala. All are equal in the eyes of Ik Ong Kaar.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=29303

The most dangerous part is that Taliban is not a group of zealots anymore but has turned into an ideology of thugs, using Allah. Heaven and 72 virgins as baits.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=29303

So killing the innocent becomes a trophy for them, even if they belong to their own religion.All minorities, including the Sikhs have been suffering in their hands, even different sects of Islam have the same fate, which is pathetically sad and outrageous.

Tejwant Singh