BBC News - Two Sikh men beheaded in north-west Pakistan
Two Sikh men beheaded in north-west Pakistan
Two Pakistani Sikhs have been beheaded, weeks after being kidnapped in separate incidents in the country's tribal north-west, officials say.
Jaspal Singh was taken while travelling in Khyber district a month ago. His body was found on Sunday.
Mastan Singh was kidnapped in the Orakzai region at about the same time.
The neighbouring regions are home to crime syndicates involved in carjacking and kidnappings, which are known to have links with extremist groups.
Unidentified gunmen demanded ransoms in both cases. A large Sikh community has lived in the area for more than 200 years.
Ransom demand
Officials in Khyber say Jaspal Singh was among seven Sikhs travelling in the tribal district a month ago. He and two others were kidnapped by a group of armed men - four others in the party escaped.
Later, the family of Jaspal Singh received a ransom demand for 20 million rupees ($235,000) to be paid by last Saturday.
His body was found when members of his family arrived in the area on Sunday to negotiate his release.
Two other Sikh men still remain in the custody of the kidnappers, officials say.
In Orakzai, Mastan Singh was also kidnapped by gunmen from the Bezot area one month ago.
There was a ransom demand for his release which was not met, officials said.
Many of the Sikhs in the Orakzai and Khyber regions own businesses or farms. But the community has come under increasing pressure as the influence of Islamist militants has grown in the area, BBC correspondents say.
Most of them have moved to Peshawar, and further east to cities in Punjab province.
There have been reports that Sikhs in the region have been subjected to jizya - an Islamic tax that is collected from non-Muslims.
Two Sikh men beheaded in north-west Pakistan
Two Pakistani Sikhs have been beheaded, weeks after being kidnapped in separate incidents in the country's tribal north-west, officials say.
Jaspal Singh was taken while travelling in Khyber district a month ago. His body was found on Sunday.
Mastan Singh was kidnapped in the Orakzai region at about the same time.
The neighbouring regions are home to crime syndicates involved in carjacking and kidnappings, which are known to have links with extremist groups.
Unidentified gunmen demanded ransoms in both cases. A large Sikh community has lived in the area for more than 200 years.
Ransom demand
Officials in Khyber say Jaspal Singh was among seven Sikhs travelling in the tribal district a month ago. He and two others were kidnapped by a group of armed men - four others in the party escaped.
Later, the family of Jaspal Singh received a ransom demand for 20 million rupees ($235,000) to be paid by last Saturday.
His body was found when members of his family arrived in the area on Sunday to negotiate his release.
Two other Sikh men still remain in the custody of the kidnappers, officials say.
In Orakzai, Mastan Singh was also kidnapped by gunmen from the Bezot area one month ago.
There was a ransom demand for his release which was not met, officials said.
Many of the Sikhs in the Orakzai and Khyber regions own businesses or farms. But the community has come under increasing pressure as the influence of Islamist militants has grown in the area, BBC correspondents say.
Most of them have moved to Peshawar, and further east to cities in Punjab province.
There have been reports that Sikhs in the region have been subjected to jizya - an Islamic tax that is collected from non-Muslims.
