LEADERS of Pakistans minority Sikh community on Monday called on the government to negotiate with the Taliban for the safe release of other Sikh traders kidnapped by suspected militants following the beheading of a captive, reports The Times of India. Pakistan Minority Council Chairman Sardar Bishon Singh and Pakistan Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee chief Sardar Sham Singh said the Federal and NWFP governments should hold talks with the Taliban for the release of abducted Sikhs. They also called on authorities to provide security to Sikhs, especially those living in Peshawar. The Taliban had demanded Rs30 million from the families of the abducted men and they killed Jaspal Singh after they did not get the ransom, Sardar Bishon Singh told PTI. He said the Sikhs had secured the release of another member of the community who was kidnapped about six months ago by paying Rs1.2 crore as ransom to the Taliban in Aurakzai Agency. We had pooled resources to pay the ransom in that case, but unfortunately we could not do the same in this case, Bishon Singh said. Syed Asif Hashmi, Chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board which is responsible for maintaining the shrines and properties of minorities, too asked the Interior Ministry to provide security to the Sikh community. Even these minorities are Pakistanis, he said. Leading rights activist Ansar Burney condemned the beheading of a Sikh. He demanded the immediate arrest of the killers and their supporters, saying that elements in some political parties were backing the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. The beheaded body of Jaspal Singh, a trader from Kyber Agency, was found in Pakistans tribal belt on Sunday. Sources told PTI that another two to four Sikhs are still being held by the Taliban. Jaspal Singh was kidnapped over a month ago with two other Sikhs named Surjeet Singh and Gurvinder Singh from Bara sub-division of Khyber Agency. Sources said the deadline set by the Taliban for payment of the ransom expired on February 20. Sardar Bishon Singh said Sikhs living in the Khyber and Aurakzai tribal regions had fled to Peshawar, Lahore and Nankana Sahib when the Taliban took over their properties about eight months ago. He said the Sikh traders were kidnapped when they went from Peshawar to Khyber Agency about a month ago to collect some outstanding dues from merchants in the tribal belt. Meanwhile, officials of Indian Sikh bodies like the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee telephoned their Pakistani counterparts and condoled the death of the Sikhs. One group announced it would pay Rs500,000 to the kin of the dead.