New Delhi: India on Monday condemned the killing of two Sikhs by the Taliban in North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan and said such "barbaric acts" will take "us back to the medieval times."
"The government of India condemn this barbaric act," the external affairs minister, Mr S.M. Krishna, said here when asked about the killing of two Sikhs, who were kidnapped a month ago for ransom.
"We condemn this barbaric act of the Taliban who have taken into custody three of the Indian nationals. The message that I have received which needs to be updated is that one has been done away with and other two are kept under captivation," he said.
Meanwhile, the Congress on Monday condemned as "extremely unfortunate" the killing of Sikhs in Pakistan and said it expects the government to take up the matter with the neighbouring country.
"We condemn the killings. It is extremely unfortunate...We expect the government to talk to Pakistan to protect the lives of the minorities there," the party spokesman, Mr Manish Tewari, said.
He said the incident was a clear message to those who draw a distinction between good Taliban and bad Taliban and added that this "medieval thought (of beheading) needs to be crushed with resolute firmness".
Though the minister described these Sikhs as "Indian nationals", the reports from Pakistan have been maintaining that they were locals living in that area.
An estimated 10,000 Sikhs lived in the NWFP and in the tribal belt, particularly Aurakzai Agency, till the Taliban imposed 'jiziya' or religious tax on them last year. Most members of the community then fled to cities across Pakistan.
According to the reports from Pakistan, some more members of the minority community are still in the custody of the Taliban.
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