HE SOLD NATION DIRT CHEAP

Of the many political ills being faced by Indian sub-continent the ‘naïve’ Sikh leaders of 1947 have a contribution to them. At Partition the leaders which represented the Sikh Nation were certainly not statesmen. They were purely religious leaders who had won a religious agitation freeing Sikh shrines from Brahminical mahants. Obviously their first choice should have been freedom of Punjabi nation and if it was not possible (though it was quite possible then) they should have negotiated both with Congress and Muslim League to get maximum minority safeguards. But unfortunately the Sikh leaders treated Muslim League as untouchable and never asserted before the Congress leaders. The Sikh leaders failed to remember that even Guru Gobind Singh whose father and four sons were martyred by Aurangzeb was ready to talk to him. The result we all know : 10 lakh Punjabis were massacred and some 50 lakh had to migrate. A new record in the history of human kind was thus created. While the humanitarian religion that grew like a wild fire even while being persecuted by the Mughal rulers has stopped to grow. Not only that it is recording for the first time a dangerous decline in the growth rare of Sikhs.

Here 3 historical instances are presented on the pre-Partition politics that exhibit the stupidity of the Sikh leaders.

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Mian Mohd Shafi's diary is a vital document which was published in series by the Lahore daily Nawai Waqat in 1960s. A page from diary was reproduced by Sardar Kapoor Singh ICS in his Sachi Sakhi. The same is translated as under:-

"Mohd. Shafi's Diary”

A Letter which reached Nehru instead of Jinnah

[Quome pherukhtando, cheh arjan ferukhtand" [He sold the nation dirt cheap]

This is the story of a letter which reached Jawalar lal Nehru instead of the addressee Mohd. Ali Jinnah. The details of the story is that Jinnah had a tremendous sympathy for the minorities. It was deliberated if the 13% Sikhs join hands with 56% Muslims of Punjab to form a united front against Congress, not merely Punjab could be saved from' division and, genocide, it would be an example before other states for resolution of disputes. Also it would help resolve many other pending disputes between the Sikhs and Muslims. Meetings of Quaid --e-Azm and some Sikh leaders especially like Giaini Kartar Singh also took place. But: by' this Akali politics were being highly influenced by Maharaja Patiala and Sardar Baldev Singh.

Under these circumstance, once Quaid -e-Azm issued a press statement that the Sikh and Muslim leaders instead of speaking against each other should sit together to resolve issues, After this statement certain representatives of All India Sikh Students Federation like Amar Singh Ambalvi, met Quaid -e-Azm at Mamdot Villa through the mediation of Hamid Nazami. The Sikh youth enquired what could be the condition of talks. Quaid-e-Azm advised them that instead of high talks they should pen down their charter of demands and whereas the Muslim League is concerned it. would consider', them sincerely and sympathetically.The Sikh young men conveyed this message of Quaid -e-Azm to the Sikh leaders and insisted that at least for the sake of argument the Sikh demands should reach to Quaid -e-Azm. Any how, Giani Kartar Singh who was considered as the brain of the Sikhs, drafted a letter to Quaid -e-Azm in which political religious, and cultural Sikh demands were spelled out. For example there were items like; (ij Reservation of Sikhs in the military and .civil services in the states and centre. [ii] assurance was sought as to the future of Sikh states like Patiala. Nabha. Jind. Faridkot and Kapurthala. and [iii] guarantee as to constitutional provision that either prime minister or governor in the state of undivided Punjab will always be a Sikh. Complete autonomy was sought. in the matter of Gurdwaras revenue, management and elections. The most important article of these demands was the central assembly or the assembly of any state will have no right to legislate on the religious matters of Sikhs without the consent of the Sikhs. The last article of the letter was that like the British Parliament with whatever majority has no right to abolish monarchy, similarly Pakistan's assembly will have no right to legislate on majority on the Sikh religious issues. Giani Kartar Singh has assured Quaid -e-Azm in this letter 'that if the Muslim League agrees on. We also minimum demands of Sikhs, Akali Dal will join hands with' Muslim league to keep united.

The memorandum was also shown to Master and in the end a line was added that Master Tara Singh also approves this charter.

After the memorandum was typed out and ready it was decided that instead of dispatching it by post it should be personally delivered by some responsible person and the choice fell on Dr. Gopal Singh Dardi a confident of Giani Kartar Singh. Giani ji sent for Dardi and instructed him to go to Delhi and personally hand over this document to Quaid -e-Azm who was then staying at Aurangzeb Road. When Dardi reached Delhi, he instead of going to Aurangzeb Road headed towards Birla House where in those days a session of Congress was in progress and handed over the vital document to Nehru instead of Quaid -e-Azm. Thus another 'if' was added to the history of the region; If this document had reached Quaid -e-Azm. The issue of future of steel mill of Baldev Singh and Muslim hostility of Maharaja Patiala which had become well known in the Congress politics, It was quite possible notwithstanding, that Quaid -e-Azm would have been prepared to consider the Sikh demands sympathetically to keep Punjab united. Through persuasions, mutual understanding and with the policy of give and take it was possible that some way out to keep Punjab united was found. Thus' the map of sub-continent politics would have been different today.

It would not be out of place to mention here that Dardi has been nominated to Upper House [Rajya Sabha] with the special efforts of Pundit Nehru. Addressing, Gopal Singh 'Dardi' today, the Sikh masses can say, "Quome pherukhtando, cheh arjan ferukhtand" [The lick-spittle sold the nation for such a cheap bargain.]

What the Lick-spittle has got to say

This Dr. Gopal Singh in his book 'History of the Sikh People' accepts the making of such a document but on page 700 he write_"The document should be lying in the Pakistan archives or in Mr. Jinnah's personal library in Pakistan."

[Congress ever remained indebted to him. He was, kept accommodated on important, posts like nomination to Rajya Sabha [twice] Chairman / Vice Chairman Minority Commission, Governor (Goa Assam) etc. The Doctor has since passed away empty handed in 1990 leaving behind vast estates]

Thus Spake Pundit Nehru

During the Punjabi Suba agitation Master Tara Singh wrote a complaint against the Govt of Kairon to the President and Chief Justice of India. Accordingly Nehru invited Sikh leaders for talks on March1, 1961, where the Sikh leaders protested at the malicious propaganda campaign unleashed by the Govt, against Master. Nehru said that had Sir Stafford Cripps been alive today, he would, have told us all what our friends had been doing before the Partition of the country. "I have a' letter in my possession: said Nehru, "which was written by Masterji to Mr. Jinnah which shows what he had been doing."

(This hint was given by Nehru much before the publication of Shafi's diary. –Editor)

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"Let us Keep our Cool" - H.S.Malick ex PM, Patiala State

In 1981 there were rising temperatures of Khalistani fever on Indian press, and many scribes wrote how every Sikh in the heart of a heart was Khalistani. Fed up with such writings H.S.Malick who was Prime Minister in the Patiala state was compelled to once again wield the pen'

and drop a letter to the Hindustan Times Delhi emphasising how the ignorant Hindus were branding every Sikh a Khalistani. This letter was published under the title "Let us keep our cool". Hardit Singh Malick relates:-

"Let us keep our cool".

“It was 1946 before Pakistan was conceded and I was Prime Minister of Patiala. We received a letter from Jinnah that he wanted to meet the Maharaja at Delhi. Meeting was accordingly held at the house of Teja Singh Malick at 4 Bhagwan Das Road. Present on the Sikh side were Maharaja, Master Tara Singh, Giani, Kartar Singh and me while Jinnah was alone. What will be the position of Sikhs in Pakistan? I asked Jinnah, Mr. Jinnah you are very generous, but we would like to have a clearer picture. You will have a cabinet, a Parliament! , the Judiciary the Armed Forces: What exactly will be our share in all these? ln reply Jinnah recounted the story of Zaglul Pasha who after Egypt became independent was the virtual ruler of Egypt and Copts, the important Christian minority living in that country and added, "I will deal with you as Zaglul Pasha dealt with Copts." Jinnah then narrated the story. "The Copts came to Zaglul Pasha in the deputation to ask for certain guarantees regarding their position as an important minority in the new Egypt. After a brief discussion. Pasha advised the delegation to think the whole thing over carefully and put into a written document all that they wanted and come and see him again. The Copts leader on the next meeting handed over the written document to Pasha. Pasha wrote "I agree with it" without examining the document Jinnah said, "This is how I will deal with you." All present were very much embarrassed as they were' determined not to agree to the, demand for Pakistan. .,

I saw a way out and asked Mr. Jinnah you are very generous, God forbid, supposing you are no longer there when the time comes to implement all that you are promising us, what guarantee have we that it will be implemented? Jinnah smiled and said something which convinced us that he was going mad which he actually did before he died. He said, "My friend my word in Pakistan will be like the word of God, no body will go back on it" Masterji told Jinnah that we will think it over and let him know. Meeting ended and Jinnah left.

We then discussed the whole matter briefly among themselves and decided that something must be done immediately to that there may be no chance of any propaganda being done by Jinnah's people claiming that the Sikhs had agreed to Pakistan.

I then went to U.N.Sen, editor, the Statesman and told him 'my friend, I have never asked you to do anything for me but today I have a request to make, a very important request. I told him about the meeting with Jinnah. Next morning the Statesman carried on its front page the headline in the largest letters, "THE SIKHS WILL UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ACCEPT PAKISTAN." This was our answer to Jinnah. Sikhs could then have had Khalistan if they wanted, as that was really what Jinnah was hinting at, because he knew fully well that Sikhs would never agree to live in Pakistan. That was the price he was offering to Sikhs to agree to his demand for Pakistan. [H.S.Malick settled for an ambassadorial assignment]

Master Rushes out through the Back Door- Harcharan Singh Bajwa (from 60 Years of Punjab Politics)

There is one more such reference of talks on some other occasion at Lahore. Harcharan Singh Bajwa (of Quadian) reveals in his book that Master was invited at a certain house in Lahore to hold talks with Jinnah. Bajwa says when he learnt of it he also rushed to the venue.

" I am happy I could see him before the talks began… Jinnah wanted to entangle him into a trap; we wanted to save him to save our nation from the attack of that cruel person [Jinnah] by any means. I whispered in his ear, "you are going to commit a political mistake. I took him to the bath room before the arrival of Jinnah Master vanished from the back door of the bungalow."

[Thus what had been decided in the meeting was washed with a mere suggestion of a low rug Akali leader. Bajwa was given only small posts on his joining Congress. But Bajwa repented for his action.]

It was a mistake-Master Tara Singh (From Meri Yaad- Autobiography of Master ji)

It was Masterji’s habit of never confessing if some mistake was made. But in his autobiography he has admitted that he had committed mistakes giving impression that those were of the small magnitude. On his death bed he begins to write his confessions but stops in between. About the failure on talks with Jinnah he naively blames others. "We lost a golden opportunity because of the uncooperative attitude of Punjabi Hindu leaders."

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