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Pak must provide 'safe passage' to Sikhs, says BJP

February 22, 2010 15:17 IST
Bharatiya Janata Party member S S Ahluwalia, has demanded that the Pakistan government provide "safe passage" to those Sikhs, who want to return to India.. "At the same time it should not seem as if they (Sikhs) are being forced to leave the country where they have lived for ages," he said. Ahluwalia's remarks came in the aftermath of 2 Sikhs being beheaded by Taliban in Pakistan on Sunday.

The matter is likely to be raised on the opening day of the budget session that begins on Monday.

Gurbachan Singh, Jathedar of the Akal Takhat Singh Sahiban, regretted
that Sikhs should have been treated in such a manner. "It is the duty of both India and Pakistan to ensure safety of all Sikhs where ever they live," he said.

Delhi Pradesh Gurdwara Prabandhak committee member, Paramjit Singh Sarna said that a protesting the killing would further endanger the Sikh community in Pakistan.

Former IB chief Ajit Doval called the killing 'a reprehensible event.' "How can you hold talks with a government that is incapable of governance," Doval told rediff.com.
Onkar Singh in New Delhi