Jammu: The Sikh Community in Jammu staged a protest against the beheading of two Sikhs in Peshawar by the Taliban. They expressed their anguish over the treatment meted out to minorities in Pakistan. They raised slogans against the
Pakistan Government and the Taliban. They later burnt tyres to express their anger.
S Sudershan Singh, a protestor, said, "Taliban, ISI, Pakistan is responsible for
beheading of Sikhs. This is their plan to end minorities in Pakistan. We are protesting
against this and called for shutdown. We thank Political and other parties for
their support. We want Indian Government to open eyes to see the atrocities against
minorities in Pakistan." "The Indian Government made promises in 1947 to provide
safety to minorities in Pakistan. The Pakistan Government and people have violated
the same agreement. We appeal to the Indian Government to make arrangements to
provide safety to minorities in Pakistan," Singh added. The two men, identified
as Jaspal Singh and Mahal Singh, were kidnapped along with two others by the Pakistani
Taliban a month ago from Bara in the Khyber Agency. A ransom of 30 million rupees
was demanded for their safe return. There has been no reaction from Islamabad
to the incident. New Delhi has reacted sharply over the horrific incident describing
the incident as 'shocking'. In New Delhi and Amritsar, Shiromani Akali Dal activists held demonstrations. In the national capital a group of Sikhs held placards
and shouted slogans condemning the barbaric incident. "We are unhappy over the
fact that the two Sikhs were beheaded and their heads were thrown in a Gurudwara
in Peshwar. In Peshwar Hindu and Sikhs stay in large numbers and I think it's
a direct attack on India and Pakistan is attacking India time and again like they
have attacked in Mumbai and now in Pune. The government has taken the stand that
we won't talk with Pakistan till the time they (Pakistan) come clean," said Manjeet
Singh, Delhi state president, Akali Dal. In Amritsar, Sikhs came out in huge numbers
to demand death for perpetrators of the heinous crime. Satbir Bajaj, one of the
protestors said that the murderers of the Sikhs should be hanged. "The heads of
the Sikhs which were beheaded in Peshawar by the Taliban was against humanity
and we appeal to the Indian government that the cruelty which is inflicted on
the Sikhs by Taliban it should be stopped and the murderers of the Sikhs should
be hanged," said Bajaj.
