ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—Two members of the Sikh community, who were kidnapped from the city of Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, have been released.
The two captives Savendar Singh, and Anand Singh, were kidnapped on February 11, 2014. They were released on Sunday March 23, after a local jirga, an assembly of tribal elders, were able to negotiate on their behalf with unknown captors. Though it seems likely that a jizia ransom tax was agreed on, Anand Singh denied reports stating that they had been released after a payment of ransom.
Anand Singh, one of the abducted persons, said that while he and Savender were at work in Dera Ismail Khan, they were kidnapped at gunpoint by 10 masked gunmen riding motorbikes.
Soran Singh, special assistant to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, said the two were kept captive in the town of Mir Ali in the North Waziristan province of Pakistan.
