MPs delegation meets PM over Sikh's beheading

A delegation of Members of Parliament met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday in connection with the beheading of a Sikh by the Taliban in Pakistan's tribal areas and presented a memorandum seeking India's intervention to protect the community.

A delegation of Members of Parliament met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday in connection with the beheading of a Sikh by the Taliban in Pakistan's tribal areas and presented a memorandum seeking India's intervention to protect the community.

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The body of Jaspal Singh was found in Tirah valley of the Khyber agency in Pakistan's restive tribal region Sunday, and triggered panic in the small community that has faced the ire of the Taliban for some time.

He was kidnapped along with two other Sikhs from Tirah Valley in the Khyber Agency near the provincial capital Peshawar and the Taliban demanded Rs.3 crore as ransom for their release, Pakistani media reported. The two companions of Jaspal Singh, identified as Gurvinder Singh and Gurjit Singh, are reportedly still being held captive.

"The government of India should take up the issue with government of Pakistan to provide safe passage to the Sikh community to move out of those unsafe areas," Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajya Sabha member S.S. Ahluwalia told reporters here, after the 15-minute meeting with the PM.

Besides Ahluwalia, the delegation included Shiromani Akali Dal MPs Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Rattan Singh Ajnala, Sher Singh Ghubaya and Naresh Gujral. The group also included Independent Lok Sabha MP Tarlochan Singh and Bahujan Samaj Party Rajya Sabha MP Avatar Singh.