On February 22, 2010, three Sikh men were said to have been

beheaded Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the ...

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...

groups in the

FATA , conventional_long_name = Federally Administered Tribal Areas , nation = Pakistan , subdivision = Autonomous territory , image_flag = Flag of FATA.svg , image_coat = File:Coat of arms ...

region of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

and their heads sent to a

gurudwara A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths ...

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

, with one of them identified as Jaspal Singh. A

Press Trust of India The Press Trust of India Ltd., commonly known as PTI, is the largest news agency in India. It is headquartered in New Delhi and is a nonprofit cooperative among more than 500 Indian newspapers. It has over 500 full-time employees , including abo ...

report later quoted sources as saying there was confusion on the exact numbers. It said that two men were beheaded, with bodies of Jaspal found in

Khyber Agency Khyber District ( ps, خېبر ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district in Peshawar Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. Until 2018, it was an agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas; with the merger of FATA with Khyber Pak ...

and Mahal Singh in

Orakzai Agency Orakzai District ( ps, اورکزو ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district in Kohat Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. Until 2018, it was an agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas. With the merger of FATA with Khyber P ...

, while others were being held hostage. Pakistani officials maintained only Jaspal's body was found. In 2009, Taliban had imposed " jizya" on the community numbering 10,000 in

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...

and the tribal belt, resulting in many fleeing to other Pakistani cities. The group demanded

Rs. Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...

30 million for the release of the abducted Sikhs. According to sources, two of the kidnapped Sikhs were killed after their relatives failed to pay the ransom. Two Sikhs, Sukhjeet Singh and Gurvinder Singh, were later rescued by Pakistani security forces. It was feared that the incident would adversely affect talks between India and Pakistan scheduled for 25 February. The men had gone to the tribal areas for work but were held by Taliban groups who apparently asked them to convert to Islam. The men resisted the conversion and were then beheaded. Indian government sources stated that their heads were thrown in a common area to create fear in the community. India condemned the incident with its External Affairs Minister

S. M. Krishna Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna (born 1 May 1932) is an Indian politician who served as Minister of External Affairs of India from 2009 to October 2012. He was the 16th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1999 to 2004 and the 19th Governor of Mahara ...

stating that it would figure in the talks.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sikh Beheadings By Taliban Terrorist incidents in Pakistan in 2010 Persecution of Sikhs Sikhism in Pakistan People killed by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan Persecution by Muslims People executed for refusing to convert to Islam Crime in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa History of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa February 2010 events in Pakistan 2010 murders in Pakistan