India takes up safety of Sikhs in Pak

Taking note of media reports of Sikhs being driven out of their homes by the Taliban in Pakistan, New Delhi has taken up with Islamabad the issue of treatment meted out to minorities in that country.

Taking note of media reports of Sikhs being driven out of their homes by the Taliban in Pakistan, New Delhi has taken up with Islamabad the issue of treatment meted out to minorities in that country.

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Reports from Orakzai, a tribal region in Pakistan, said the Taliban had imposed Jaziya, tax imposed on non-Muslims, and destroyed houses of 11 Sikh families who had failed to pay Rs 50 million each.

“The government has taken up the question of treatment of minorities in Pakistan with the government of Pakistan,” Vishnu Prakash, a spokesman for the ministry of external affairs, said on Friday.

Sources said Jaanbaaz Khan, first secretary in the Pakistan High Commission, was summoned on Friday to register New Delhi’s unhappiness over the development. The Indian High Commission in Islamabad also conveyed similar views to the Pakistan foreign office.