Washington, February 23, 2010: Washington based Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE) today condemned the beheading of two Sikhs by the Taliban in Pakistan as a ‘barbaric act’ and asked President Barack Obama to intervene and take up the matter strongly with the Pakistan Government. The victims identified as Jaspal Singh and Mahal Singh, who were kidnapped a month ago from Bara in the Khyber Agency, were beheaded in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan and their heads sent to a gurudwara (Sikh temple) in Peshawar.
In a letter to the President Obama, delivered via White House officials, Dr. Rajwant Singh, Chairman of SCORE, said, “We Sikhs in the United States are outraged by this heinous crime by the Taliban against two innocent Sikhs and we are deeply concerned about the lives and property of Sikhs in Pakistan. U.S. Government must press upon the Pakistan Government to take stern action against the perpetrators of these horrendous acts. It is the primary duty of the Pakistan government to intervene on behalf of the Sikhs and other minorities and protect them from any atrocities committed by Tehrik-e-Taliban or any other group.
“It is important that U.S. government conveys our deepest concerns to the Pakistan Government via U.S. special envoy Richard Holbrooke. Since last year the religious freedom of the Sikhs has been threatened and they have been forced to leave their centuries old dwellings in the Orakzai Agency and adjacent areas. We are appalled that some Sikhs in Pakistan were being coerced into becoming Muslims. Last year some Sikh families had been taken hostage in Pakistan and forced to pay ‘jiziya’ (religious tax). These kinds of atrocities cannot be tolerated at any cost and we must ask for security and well being of all communities in Pakistan.”
Dr. Singh further stated, “We pray for the families of the victims and in this critical time, we stand by our brethren in Pakistan. We have received number of calls and emails from Sikhs all across America expressing their outrage about the situation in Pakistan. As American citizens, we request you to express our sentiments to President Zardari. We will continue to work with the State Department, congressional leaders at the Capitol Hill and the White House on this issue.”
SCORE had written a similar letter about the Sikh plight to President Obama last year prior to his meeting with President Zardari at the White House. According to the White House officials, Obama raised the issue of security and safety of Sikhs and minorities with the visiting Pakistani leader.
Two other Sikhs, Gurvinder Singh and Gurjit Singh, are still reported to be in the custody of the Taliban groups. Jaspal Singh was taken while travelling in Khyber district a month ago. His body was found on Sunday. Mastan Singh was kidnapped in the Orakzai region at about the same time.
The SGPC has also urged the Pakistan government to ensure safety and security of Pakistan-based Sikhs in the wake of increasing Taliban threats to them.
The four Sikhs had gone to the area to collect their business dues, when they were allegedly kidnapped by the Taliban, who demanded a ransom of 30 million rupees for their release.
Last year, Taliban militants took over shops and homes of 35 Sikh families and kidnapped community leaders in Ferozkhel, Orakzai Agency.
