Pak condemns beheading of Sikh, says will step up security

K J M Varma
Beijing, Feb 23 (PTI) Condemning the beheading of two
Sikhs by Taliban militants in Pakistan, Foreign Minister Shah
Mehmood Qureshi on Tuesday said his government would do
whatever it can for safety and security of the miniority
community.
"We are equally concerned. We condemn that strongly.
They (militants) are inhuman. They have (make) no distraction
between individuals, ethnicities or religions regardless,"
Qureshi, who is on a visit here, told reporters.
Asked whether Pakistan would step up security for
Sikhs and other minorities in view of the incident, Qureshi
said Pakistan has always gone out of its way to welcome Sikhs.
"We will do whatever we can for their security and
want them to visit Pakistan," he said.
"We understand that they have some interests in
Pakistan because the religious holy sites we have. Because of
that they love to come to Pakistan love to visit Lahore and
Punjab.
"They speak the same language and are good friends. We
have lot of commonality. We try to improve facilities to
facilitate them and improve the conditions of the sites," the
Foreign Minister said.
Two Sikhs who were kidnapped for ransom were found
beheaded by the Pakistani Taliban in the country's restive
tribal belt on Sunday. Some more members of the minority
community are still in the custody of the rebels. PTI KJV
AHM