SGPC, Akal Takht condemns beheading of Sikh youths by Taliban in Pakistan - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), the highest decision-making body of Sikhs has severely condemned the beheading of two Sikh youths is Peshawar, Pakistan, and has asked the Pakistan government to provide full security to minorities in the country. SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar said the whole Sikh community strongly denounces the brutal murder of Sikhs by the Taliban. The highest political institution of Sikhs, the Akal Takht, has also condemned the killings. Akal Takht chief Gurbachan Singh said India must raise the issue with Pakistan in the United Nations to prevent such ghastly acts. "It becomes the responsibility of the centre that it takes up the matter with Pakistan in the United Nations, so that no community suffers in any country. The government should take the step at the earliest, so that such incidents are not repeated in the future," said Gurbachan in Amritsar . "There have been reports on the television that Taliban have executed Sikhs and sent their bodies to Bhai Joga Singh Gurudwara. This is a very heart rending news and is highly condemnable," former Akal Takht chief Joginder Singh said. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also condemned the beheading and criticized the Centre for its coldhearted attitude for not putting diplomatic pressure on Pakistan to get the abducted Sikhs released. BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said: "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." "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," added Prasad. In a gruesome incident that once again highlighted the cruelty of the Taliban, the banned extremist outfit beheaded two Sikhs in Peshawar , the capital city of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). The shocking incident came to light late on Sunday when the mutilated heads of the two Sikh youths were found in a Gurudwara in Peshawar . 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, and a ransom of 30 million rupees were demanded for their safe return. According to sources, all the four men had shifted to Peshawar to escape the extremist fury in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The other two men, Gurvinder Singh and Gurjit Singh are still said to be in the custody of the militants. There has been no reaction from the Pakistan government over the incident, but New Delhi has reacted sharply over the horrific incident. Describing the incident as 'shocking', the External Affairs Ministry said it has contacted the Indian High Commission in Islamabad and has directed it to get the details of the incident. Members of Pakistan 's tiny Sikh community joined an exodus of hundreds of thousands of people fleeing fighting in a Taliban stronghold when the army launched an offensive in May last year as a peace pact with the Taliban in the Swat valley broke down. Many of the Sikhs took shelter in Peshawar and the adjoining areas.