Sikhs Must Learn From Jinnah

[D S Gill Chair IHRO]

source:https://www.ihro.in/?q=taxonomy/term/6

LK Advani will quit on the eve of New Year for praising Jinnah during his Pak visit

December 27, 2005

LK Advani will quit on the eve of New Year for praising Jinnah during his Pak visit, While Sikhs must learn from Jinnah

IN ISLAMABAD, Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shaukat Aziz, on Monday December 26, 2005, said that his government was committed to translate the vision of father of the Nation Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah into reality with a view to realizing the objectives of the creation of Pakistan. He was addressing a delegation of the Pakistan Muslim League, led by President D. Mohammad Amjad.

The Prime Minister said, “We are dedicated to make Pakistan a strong and great country in the line with the ideals given by the Father of the Nation. Every Pakistani will have to make his contribution in this regard. With a strong Pakistan Muslim League (PML), the country would be more stable and the people would be more prosperous. The government is striving to develop the country politically, economically and society to fulfill the dreams of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.”

Extending felicitations to the Christian Community, the Prime Minister said Quaid-e-Azam visualized Pakistan as a country for all segments of society, including the minorities. Therefore, everyone living here should actively participate in efforts to make Pakistan a progressive, forward looking and moderate country. Referring to the PML centenary celebrations being held next year, the Prime Minister said, there is a need to apprise the younger generation of the sacrifices made by our elders to achieve a separate homeland for the Muslims in the sub-continent. He informed that these celebrations would commence with great zeal and fervour from March 23, 2006 and would continue throughout the year. The message of the Quaid Azam would be highlighted for the benefit of the younger generation, he added, according to the Jang daily of Pakistan.

While on the other hand, LK Advani will lose the leadership of the BJP on the eve of New Year 2006 most probably for praising Mohammad Ali Jinnah during his visit to Pakistan that had triggered his slide from the position of RSS’s blue-eyed boy. Indian people generally, except minorities, would not like to hear any praise of Pakistanis, especially of the stature of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who is considered as an architect of Pakistan. Among Hindus, who are generally taken as intolerant of any one who is not Hindu, the RSS, BJP, VHP and their outfits are most fundamentalists who cannot tolerate people like LK Advani praising Jinnah for a song. This Hindu psyche cost LK Advani dearly.

Mohammad Ali Jinnah had warned the Sikh leadership of this psyche during partition day. And he had offered to them in April 1947, in consultation with certain most powerful leaders of the British Cabinet in London, first through Master Tara Singh and then through the Maharaja of Patiala: "that a sovereign Sikh State, comprising areas lying in the West of Panipat and east of the left bank of the Ravi river, on the understanding that this Sikh State then confederates with Pakistan on very advantageous terms to the Sikhs.”

But unfortunately, Master Tara Singh summarily rejected this attractive offer and the Maharaja of Patiala declined to accept it in consultation with Sardar Patel and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

While on the other hand, Hindu leaders had made certain promises to attract Sikhs to join India. In politics the highest principle is the principle of political expediency, promises are made to be broken (Chanakya). So, they broke all these promises “skilfully” as the Sikh leadership was politically naïve that time and had no vision and prudence like Jinnah.

Hence, the suffering of the Sikhs started from the very partition of the country. Any way, given the political situation in the country and Punjab, do the Sikhs have competent leadership among Akalis? Frankly, we have to admit that the quality of Akali leadership has degenerated from the bad to the worst. Now they have become thieves, corrupt, criminals and detractors of the people of Punjab and the Sikh Panth. The stuff in non-Akali ranks is overconfident of its sacrifices made during the recent Sikh struggle and a divided house.

Who will bell the cat? I mean who will channel their energies for the glorification of the Panth and Sikh nation. It is still a billion dollars question. Let us, for the time being, learn from the Mohammad Ali Jinnah. At least, we will not be thrown away from the Panth as LK Advani has been shown his way by the RSS’s Panth. Many believe that Sikh League is the only answer as has been the Muslim League in Pakistan. But we still need Jinnah to lead it. Who becomes Jinnah of the Sikhs after Bhindrawale is a right question today confronting the Sikhs in Punjab

-D S Gill

[>Bikramjit Singh<]

Sardar D S Gill. Nice to see you on this forum. I appreciate the good works IHRO are doing for the Human rights of Sikhs in India.

Coming to the Jinnah offer, I don't think that this offer was made in a very serious manner. I read that during a dinner party in which both the Maharaja of Patiala and Jinnah was present a similar offer was made but when pressed Jinnah did not offer any realistic answers to the questions regarding his offer. His answer was that his writ would be law in Pakistan and the Sikhs needed no written agreements. Such an evasive answer from a trained lawyer such as Jinnah was enough to ring warning bells amongst the Sikh leadership. The subsequent events after Jinnah's death show that his words were as hollow as M K Gandhi's. One only needs to look at what Pakistan is today as opposed to the dreams of Jinnah. Jinnah also never made a public offer, the only documented offers were off the cuff remarks which were more aimed at getting the Sikhs to stop their opposition to Pakistan and for the whole of Punjab to become a part of Pakistan.

The offers made around April 1947 came just a month after thousands of Sikhs were massacred in Rawalpindi area by the Muslims. How serious such an offer without any writted agreements could be taken is a good point.

The main problem that the Sikh leadership had was their lack of unity. Many Sikhs weren't even with the Akalis and were flirting with Communism and the Congress. This lack of unity was what let the Sikhs down. The Sikhs although in a minority position everywhere in Punjab yet still had a number of Sikh states in Punjab which could have been the used to form the backbone of a Khalistan. If the Sikh leadersip had been serious about Khalistan and made it's creation their only policy, then the British, Congress and Muslim league would have had to agree to it's creation. The British would have agreed as long as they could avoid any violence and cut and run, Jinnah would have agreed because he was dying and only being kept alive by medical treatment.

The Sikhs would also have had a better claim on the west Punjab districts which were eventually lost to Pakistan. As a third successor state to India, the British would have had to ensure that it was viable and using the 'other factors' provision in the partition document have ensured that property ownership as well as Gurdwara estates had an added weightage.

[D S Gill Chair IHRO]

Dear Bikramjit Singh:

I read your reply with care. It is very relevant to the topic. Your information about the subject is nearly true. And, thank you very much for appreciating IHRO work.

My theme behind writing this piece was different from narrating history. Under the then given circumstances and the political situation, the Sikh leadership did not act or react wisely. They proved to be pawns in hands of both the parties. I mean, Hindus and the British. Taking that situation as it was, I tried to project my point of view in the now given circumstances and political situation. That is, “Frankly, we have to admit that the quality of Akali leadership has degenerated from the bad to the worst. Now, they (Akalis) have become thieves, corrupt, criminals and detractors of the people of Punjab and the Sikh Panth. The stuff in non-Akali ranks is overconfident of its sacrifices made during the recent Sikh struggle and a divided house.”

“Let us, for the time being, learn from the Mohammad Ali Jinnah. At least, we will not be thrown away from the Panth as LK Advani has been shown his way by the RSS’s Panth. Many believe that Sikh League is the only answer as has been the Muslim League in Pakistan. But we still need Jinnah (leader of his stature) to lead it. Who becomes Jinnah of the Sikhs after Bhindrawale, is a right question, today, confronting the Sikhs in Punjab,” was the urge in my mind- might be wishful thinking. We need leader like Jinnah or Bhindrawale who can feel the Sikh problem, put it in its right perspective and conclude it the way both Jinnah and Bhindrawale did at different point of times in different ways. Both were victorious. Now, we Sikhs need Bhindrawale (leader of his prowess and stature) who can lead the Sikh nation democratically on political and diplomatic fronts. I think this will suffice for the time being and it makes my intention clear in airing my views in that small piece of writing.

With regards,

Yours,

dsgill