|
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, founder
of Mohammadan Anglo-Oriental College
which later became Aligarh State university
was encouraged by British to communalise
politics. He became a staunch ally of
British and lent his commanding influence
to preach gospel of loyalty among Muslims.
He first opened his campaign againt
Indian National Congress in 1887. (Indian
national congress was founded in 1885
by Some British and Anglo-Indians to
demand legislative assembly and other
democratic rights) His speech in Lucknow
in 18 December 1887 was full of venom.
His primary aim was to win the Muslims
reprieve for their part in mutiny of
1857. In 1893, Syed Ahmad Khan established
the Mohammadan Anglo-Oriental Defence
Association of Upper India which was
opened only to Muslims and Englishmen.
Thus started a long campaign to create
a separate state for Muslims. Syed Ahmad
Khan died in 1898 but with creation
of Aligarh University and by planting
seeds of venom he had done his damage.
His path to holocaust was taken over
by Agha Khan. Lord Minto on October
1 1906 in front of Agha Khan and other
Muslim and British dignatories at Simla
said, " I claim that in any system
of representation whether it affects
a muncipality, a District, or Legislative
council, in which it is proposed to
introduce or increase Mohammadan community
should be represented as a community."
(quote from Heritage of Sikhs, page
255, written by Harbans Singh). This
statment by Governor General was an
open inticement to Muslim separatism.
In 1909, Minto-Morley reforms gave weighted
representatin to Muslims in provinces
in which they were in minority. This
created a permanent separatism between
Muslims and Hindus. In 1916 Congress
attempted to appease muslims by giving
them several separate communal laws
and claims in a pact called Lucknow
Pact. In Punjab, 50 percent of seats
were reserved for Muslims under this
League-Congress pact and Sikhs were
completely ignored. In 1916, A Sikh
representative Sardar Gajjan Singh of
Ludhiana moved an ammendment recommending
the addition of words, "subject
to the just claims of the sikhs".
This was oppose by both Hindus and Muslims.
At this time there were only two Sikhs
in legislative assembly. The franchise
committee was established by British
to go into matter of composition of
new legislatures based on religion.
Sikhs were given 15 percent seats but
were only 12 percent of Punjab, while
Muslims in Bihar and Orissa were less
than 10 percent and got 25 percent of
total legislature seats.
Though Sikhs were smallest minority
in Punjab, Sikhs were generally averse
of communal representation. The muslims,
in spite of being a majority, had been
given statutory protection and weightage
in form of separate electorates and
reservation of seats. This created among
the Sikhs a sense of grievance and they
demanded to be treated on a par with
the Muslims in the matter of political
rights.
Chief Khalsa Diwan in 1928 observed
that Sikhs are anxious to maintain their
individuality while at the same time
they are ready to co-operate with their
sister communities for the development
of a united nation. They would, therefor,
be the first to welcome a declaration
that no consideration of caste or religion
shall affect the matter of organization
of a national government in the country.
Sikhs are prepared to stand on merit
alone. British appointed a committee
under Moti Lal Nehru to work out a scheme
of government that is accepted to all.
The committe prepared a report which
was published in August 1928, Muslim
opinion was totally against this report
and Mohammad Ali Jinnah, an emerging
leader of Muslims suggested number of
amendments to it. Sikhs rejected the
Nehru report for different reasons Baba
Kharak Singh in his speech put these
points forth, first this report asked
only for dominion status of Indians
under British and not total freedom,
second this report had laid the foundation
of communalism by accepting separate
electorates. On December 20, 1929, Baba
Kharak Singh gave a speech at Lajpat
Nagar, Lahare reiterated the Sikhs determination
not to let any single community establish
its political hegemony in Punjab. Sikhs
he said had suffered more then anyone
else, of the 31 Indian patriots sentenced
to death, 27 were Sikhs, and out of
121 sentenced to long imprisonment,
91 were Sikhs. Nehru and Gandhi did
meet Baba Kharak Singh and assured him
of Sikh representation and keeping country
united while Muslims remained silent.
But things slolwy were changing. Muslim
league in the elections of 1936 won
only two seats in Punjab and Unionist
party led by Sikandar Hayat Khan formed
the government, this party was mostly
composed of feudal land lords. After
these elections, Muslims league started
showing its true colors. Several incidents
inciting muslims against infidels were
reported in muslims newspapers. Leaders
like Jinnah and Liaqat Ali Khan who
were behaved more like a englishman
than a subcontinent muslim, started
exploiting sentiments of Muslims through
out India. Jinnah, although accomplished
lawyer but was a petty, shrewd person
who was only the second generation of
nauveau-converted muslims. He can be
truely called a pseudo British or a
brown sahib. He was a muslim in name
only. He drank liquor and ate pork,
obviously to ape his British masters.
Another thing to note is that he never
really took part in any struggle for
independence, other Muslim leaders like
Maulana Abul Kalam, Frontier Gandhi
and secular leaders like Gandhi, Nehru
were put in jail for many years, while
Jinnah was never jailed. Situation until
1940 had turned bad throughout India
and relations between Hindus and muslims
were turning cold.
In 1940, Mohammad Ali Jinnah called
for a separate state for muslims called
Pakistan to be created out of those
areas which have Muslims living as majority.
It was a shock for Sikhs, as Sikhs although
were spread out through out punjab but
were a minority in all provinces. British
appointed Sir Stafford Cripps in 1942
to look after the creation of new provinces
or a separate state for Muslims. Sikh
representation told this comission:
"Why should a province that fails
to secure three-fifths majority of its
legislature, in which a religious community
enjoys statutory majority, be allowed
to hold a plebiscite and given the benefit
of a bare majority. In fairness, this
right should have beeb conceded to communities
who are in permanent minority in the
legislature. From the boundry of Delhi
to the banks of Ravi River the population
is divided as follows: Muslims, 4,505,000;
Sikhs and other non-muslims, 7,060,000.
To this may be added the population
of Sikh states of Patiala, Nabha, Jind,
Kapurthala and Faridkot, which is about
2,600,000, of this Muslims constitute
barely 20 percent and this reduces the
ratio of Muslim population still further.
We shall resist by all possible means,
separation of Punjab from the all-India
union. We shall never permit our motherland
to be at the mercy of those who disown
it. After it was a certainity that Pakistan
will be formed, Giani Kartar Singh in
1943 declared a call for a Separate
state called Azad Punjab, to be comprised
of Ambala, Jullundar, Lahore, Multan,
and Lyallpur divisions. Mastar Tara
Singh president of SAD and other Sikh
leaders such as Giani Sher Singh, Sadhu
Singh Hamdard,Amar singh Dosanjh, Ajit
singh Ambalvi supported this call for
Azad Punjab. Then in a speech in Amritsar
in August 1944, Master Tara Singh declared
that Sikhs were a nation and as such
a demand was formerly put forward by
Shiromani Akali Dal in a resolution
passed on March 22, 1946 for a separate
Sikh state. After this situation in
Punjab was getting tense. On one hand
Jinnah and Muslim league was calling
for blood or Pakistan and declaring
that Muslims are no believer of ahimsa
and will resort to any means possible
to achieve their means. Muslim league
declared August 16th 1946 to be observed
as Direct Action Day, where all muslims
were asked to show the support for Pakistan
by rioting. Explaining the implications
of Direct Action Day threat, Liaqat
Ali Khan, general secretary of Muslim
league said "Direct action means
resort to non-constitutional methods
that can take any form which many suit
the conditions under which we live.
We cannot eliminate any methods. Direct
Action means any action against the
law." Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar
spoke in more forthright terms: "Pakistan
can be achieved through shedding blood
of others. Muslims are no believers
in ahimsa.
The decree of violence and jingoism
was enthusiastically embraced by the
Muslim masses. The Muslim league created
a private army called Muslim National
Guards. Arms were being secretely amassed,
petrol stored and lethel weapons laid
in. Muslim league volunteers were especially
trained in the skills of stabbing and
fire-raising. Simultaneously, a chorus
of hate and inflammatory exhortation
flowed from the League pulpiteers and
newspapers. Communal frenzy was worked
up to a dangerous pitch and on appointed
day the storm burst in Calcutta. H.S.
Suhrawardy, Muslim league leader from
Bengal let loose horron on the Hindu
population on the morning of August
16 1946. Stabbing, looting, burning
were the order of the day. For four
days the League desperados had the city
at their mercy. According to rough estimated
about 15,000 persons were killed and
injured while one hundred thousands
were rendered homeless. Then on 2nd
September in Noakhali and Tippera (Bengal)
where Hindus were in minority, violence
broke out. Thousands of Hindus were
cruelly murdered, their womenfolks abducted
and compelled to marry Muslims, property
looted. The Sikhs of Calcutta did a
notable humanitarium job at the time
of the Great killing, saving many innocent
lives in Hindus as well as in Muslim
localities. Soon violence spread northwards.
According to Muslim league, the Sikhs
were the only viable obstruction to
Pakistan. Justice G.D. Khosla of the
Fact Finding Organization setup by Government
of India observed: "Sikhs had opposed
the partition of India with even greater
vigour than Hindus, because they felt
that as a community they could only
expect disaster in Pakistan, therefore
it was against the Sikhs that spearpoint
of the Muslim league attack was first
aimed. In the March 1947 riots, the
Sikhs or Rawalpindi faced ahhihilation
and large number of them left the district.
Within a few weeks almost the entire
Sikh population had migrated from the
district. Rioting in Punjab started
in first week of December in the district
of Hazara. A Holy war was declared on
Hindus and Sikhs. Sikh habitations were
wiped out, Gurdwaras were desecrated.
Rioting in Lahore was started in March
4 1947, it started out as stabbing and
small incidents and spread out to become
arson and murder. Soon after Muslims
in Amritsar (muslims were about 40-50%
of population before partition) went
rioting, a mob tried to attack Golden
Temple and were repulsed with a pitched
battle fought between handful of Sikhs
under Jathedar Udham Singh Nagoke. Same
day muslims of Sharifpura (a suburb
of Amristar), stopped a train full of
refugees from Pakistan for slaughter.
After this incident, Sikhs and Hindus
in Amritsar were furious and many innocent
muslims had to bear the fury of anger.
Soon after Amritsar was empty of Muslims.
While total number of casualties were
about same on both sides, about 100-150
million refugees were exchanged between
both countries. There were large number
of atrocities inflicted on women, many
were abducted and raped. In village
Thoh Khalsa (now in Pakistan), 1000
Sikh and Hindu women jumped into well
to save their honor after their menfolks
were killed by Muslim mobs. It is estimated
that about 1 million Hindus/Sikhs/Muslims
were murdered and 10-50 millions were
injured. Property lost was in trillion
of dollars.
Muslims did got their Pakistan but
soon after it was put under marshall
law by its feudal infested army. Sikhs
did themselves a big favour by opting
out of Pakistan at this time in Pakistan
situation of few Hindus/Christians/other
muslims (shia, Ahmadias) is worse off
then in any other country. Judges are
often asked to hang a non-muslims only
on the basis of accusation. Sikh leadership
opted for India and millions of Sikhs
migrated to East Punjab and Delhi. Recently
a well known bishop of a church shot
himself on the door steps of a court
in Pakistan after another christian
was sentenced to death after a false
accusation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Copyright © Harbans Singh "The
Heritage of Sikhs"
|
