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<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=570 align=left><TBODY><TR><TH scope=col>What is cooking in India against Sikhs?
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Kashmir Watch
By Afshain Afzal
How India is playing with the Sikhs remind me of an interesting incident. Once I was sitting close to bank of river Indus watching its majestic flow when I came across a poor fisherman trying to catch a big fish. After hours of struggle he could only catch a fish not bigger than the size of the palm. He thought a trick to catch a bigger fish; instead of tying a fly to the end of fishing hook, he fixed the fish which he caught after lot of difficulty. It was a bad day for him as a bigger fish in the river took away that fish too. India is neither a poor fisherman nor Sikhs are fish but the story fits the existing New Delhi clever moves. In pursuit of hidden objective, India is following policy with regard to Sikhs that vary from area to area. Today the Sikhs have been divided into three groups; 1) Those hostile to India in the past and are carrying out struggle for independence 2) Pakistani Sikhs including citizens of Indian held Jammu & Kashmir state and 3) Those loyal to the Indian union. In fact, India has segregated Sikh community and does not allow them to unite on a single platform to create internal hatred among the community. By doing this, India is not only able to subdue Sikhs but the Sikhs community is being used to destabilize Muslims in general and Pakistan in particular, in a similar manner as British imperialist had been doing during their rule over India.
Before discussing the New Delhi’s game plan to use Sikhs as weapon against Muslims, it seems important to highlight some aspects of Sikhs. Interestingly there is a lot of historic literature available in the shelves of libraries reflecting horrifying Sikhs brutalities towards Muslims and vice versa. As far as I know about Sikhs, there are very few people like them; honest, devoted and friendly people with good sense of humour. Indeed they are fair in their dealings and are good human beings. It is interesting to note that Sikhs resembles with Muslims in a number of ways but are entirely opposite of Hindus. However, as a conspiracy, British published books containing material that Muslims and Sikhs were worst enemies of each other. The British Army raised Sikh regiments to crush the Muslims power in subcontinent. Although there were personnel from other religions in the British Army who participated in operations against Muslims but as a pre planned conspiracy only Sikhs were blamed for crushing the Muslims. Later the British and American writers wrote hundred of book depicting atrocities and disrespect of Muslim holy places by the Sikhs. Interestingly, the western writers also carried out black propaganda against orthodox Muslim rulers that they are deadly against the minorities especially Hindus and Sikhs.
Rulers of weak and dubious characters were projected as heroes while brave, honest and well wishers of the masses were presented as enemies of the public. Ironically, Mughul Emperor Akbar, who was illiterate and puppet in the hands of opportunist king makers was titled as “Akbar the Great’ while able and just Emperors like Aurengzeb were painted as enemies of their subjects. Although Akbar invented his own religion ‘Deen-e-Ellahi’ with a central idea that there is no difference between Ram (Hindu god) and Ar Rahim (Allah) and forced his his subjects to embrace the new religion but it was propagated as he was secular and never interfered in others’ religion. The story of beheading of 9th Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur on the orders of Muslim Emperor Aurengzeb is a {censored} and bull story but it has been quoted in so many books by different authors that things appear genuine. It is interesting to note that Lal Masjid episode took place few years back in the heart of Pakistani capital Islamabad but till to-date no one is sure what was the real story. No one can claim with authenticity that who was aggressor and how many people were killed. One wonders, if this is the state of reaching to the truth that happened few yards away in this communication age, what would be the percentage of authenticity at the time of Mughal Emperors. It is an open challenge to the top journalists to dig ‘Lal Masjid episode’, ‘Mumbai attacks on November 2008’ or attacks on Pentagon in September 2002 and there can be no one consensus.
Those Sikhs who in the past had been hostile to Indian union and struggled for separate Sikh homeland have either been ruthlessly killed or living in exile in foreign lands. A long list of such persons who are suspected to have direct or indirect links with Sikh’s separatist movement is held with Indian authorities and such persons are not allowed to lead a normal life in India. Their relatives are treated as suspects and are under the scanner of Indian intelligence agencies. Many Sikhs suspected to have role in separatist movement have been killed in fake encounters or extra judicial killings. Some of the Sikhs and their relatives belonging to this group are even pressurized by Indian agencies to smuggle drugs or carryout other criminal activities. They are even persuaded to carryout cross border terrorism with an assurance that their love one would not be harassed or targeted. In the recent past Indian government announced certain policies to accommodate Kashmiris who fled to Pakistan after aggression by the combined British and Indian forces in 1947 onwards. But ironically, same facility was extended to Sikhs who were forced to leave their country in order to get rid of brutal aggression by India forces.
As regard to Pakistani Sikhs including citizens of Indian held Jammu & Kashmir state, Indian intelligence floated various ideas to create rift between Muslims and Sikhs. It need to be clarified here that not all the Hindus are against Muslims and Sikhs but some elements in Indian intelligence and government machinery are deadly against them. In one of their moves, there is a plan to construct a Gurdwara in name of Sikh General Baba Banda Singh Bahadur. Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) has already taken up case with Jammu & Kashmir government to provide land in Rajouri for setting up memorial and a Gurdwara in his name. It has been suggested that once the memorial is constructed by the government, thereafter, the possession of the land would be handed over to SGPC. Celebrations of Baba Banda Bahadur “Sirhind Fateh Diwas” are scheduled to be held at Sirhind from May 12 to 14, 2010. As part of the celebrations, a congregation (Nagar Kirtan) would be commenced from three directions; 1) First one from Rajouri on May 11, 2) Second from Nanded Sahib (Maharashtra) and 3) Third would start from Mehrouli (Delhi). The three processions would be reaching Gurudwara Fatehgarh Sahib. Replica of original gold coins during Baba Banda Bahadur regime which were used as currency in those days would also be released during the celebrations. Although, it is not a bad idea to look after Sikh community but here the aim of India government is to divide Jammu & Kashmir state on sectarian line so that either it goes to India or is divided on the same lines as Punjab has been divided. In another move, Indian politicians have also conspired with puppet Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to introduce Punjabi as a second language in Jammu & Kashmir state. Punjabi Bhasha Chetna Manch is striving hard to make this happen as soon as possible. One wonders, if Sikhs falls in the New Delhi’s trap, their fate would not be different form the one who were ruthlessly massacred in holy Golden Temple and presently living in exile or horrible life in India.
The Sikhs who are loyal to the Indian union are being re-grouped by Indian Intelligence and are being instigated that whole Punjab belongs to them. The basic theme given to them is that Jats on both sides of the borders are one. In fact it is a move for greater Punjab in which it is being propagated that ruling families of the rural Punjab in Pakistan were originally Jat Sikhs, who voluntarily converted to Islam in order to retain their land holdings. The move is basically to encourage Sikhs to divert their attentions towards Pakistan so that they should stop concentrating on Independence of Indian Punjab and dream for an impossibility of making their fortune in Pakistani Punjab. Many Sikhs would not fall in this trap as leaving aside the disrespect of Golden Temple by Indian Army and Para Military Forces, Sikh cannot forget carving out of Haryana state from Indian Punjab. In order to create hurdles for Punjab province, allegations are being leveled on Punjab for not releasing water share of other states including Rajasthan. According to notorious Ravi-Beas water-sharing agreement’s Punjab has to release Rajasthan’s share of 72,248 cusecs per day of water from the Ranjit Sagar Dam. However, since the eruption of dispute over Chenab water between Pakistan and India, New Delhi has temporarily halted diversion of water from Chenab River into Ravi through secret tunnel. Thus it is great disadvantage to Punjab and Sikhs’ land may turn barren in an effort to facilitate other states. One wonders that Pakistan would, no doubt, like to respect the Indo-Pak borders but if India is interested in such a game, there is no harm in having the Sikh brothers back. If we recall, according to original Lahore resolution of March 23, 1940 and Independence Plan of June 3, 1947 whole Punjab was to form part of Pakistan. If Sikhs thinks so and India has no objection to it, such moves may be welcomed by Pakistan.
Author can be reached at: afshainafzal@ymail.com
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