The Pakistani Spectator

The recent killing of, Jaspal Singh by his abductors in the Orakzai Agency, on 22 Feb this year, has saddened the heart of every Pakistani. He was an unfortunate victim of abduction for ransom; a practice being increasingly resorted to by on the run TTP, who in desperation to remain afloat make no ethnic discrimination in selecting their victims for extortion. Scores of locals from the area, from where Jaspal came, have fallen to this barbaric practice. The areas which temporarily came under the control of TTP went through the agony of living with their warped ideology and Singh was just unfortunate to have fallen victim to this random occurrence of terrorism - a pattern which had become routine in areas affected by Taleban anarchy.

Inhabitants of Frontier Province have traditionally exhibited extreme tolerance towards minorities, particularly Sikhs. To their credit, Sikhs as a community have been able to smoothly weave themselves into the local ethnic mosaic, integrating themselves into the social milieu with ease and grace. Numbering around 10,000 they have thrived economically not only as traders but have put their roots into the ground as farmers, civil servants and prospered in various other professions like doctors and engineers. The appearance of Taleban on the scene has exposed the entire population to their malevolence – Sikhs being no exception, but the locals have continued to provide them with protection and patronage. The Government too has been forthcoming to assuage their sufferings at a time of general upheaval and tribulations. When approximately two million locals were uprooted to enable Army to flush out TTP from Swat and Buner, the 3000 strong displaced Sikhs were accommodated in the relative comfort of Darbar Panja Sahib’s cool environs at Hassan Abdal; even as other ODI’s had to bear with the sizzling heat and dust of the bursting-at-the-seams refugee camps.

Given these circumstances when the entire population of areas affected by the TTP barbarism is bruised and traumatized with the impact of extreme violence, attempts made by Indian media, Indian Government officials and politicians to put Pakistan on the spot, based on the unfortunate incident involving Jaspal Singh, has come across as unsavory, even unethical. A particularly painful cut has been the spate of abrasive commentary from India, appearing among much of the frontline Indian media, regarding the lack of protection and security provided to the Sikh community during the Taleban generated anarchy. But as they say all is fair in love and war and exploiting the unfortunate tragedy of Jaspal’s death might have appeared fair game to those conducting propaganda warfare against Pakistan. The fact remains that India, on her part, has much explanation to do in order to pacify its restive Sikh community; justifying its inactivity to bring to book culprits of the state sponsored Sikh genocide that engulfed India following Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984.

Indira’s death launched a volcano of anti Sikh communal hate that found the Indian state becoming an active partner in unleashing decades of state sponsored brutality. The phenomenon was most noticeable in Delhi, the seat of Indian Government, where armed Hindu gangs roamed unchallenged, destroying Sikh Gurduwaras, homes and businesses with abandon. In Delhi, Kanpur and Calcutta the Police contingents stood motionless as Congress party led gangs indulged their passions for looting, burning and killing of Sikhs and their property. Despite highly precarious situation caused by inflamed passions, the Army was not called in nor any curfew imposed to prevent the spate of killings. As Sikhs faced the brunt of Hindu onslaught, the entire administration assumed the role of detached spectators explaining away the situation as an “explosion of grief”. The justification for vengeance was aptly reflected by Rajiv Gandhi’s famous quip; “When a huge tree falls the earth shudders”. 3000 Sikhs lost their lives in Delhi alone.

The institutionalized violence spread to the countryside and the next decade saw Punjab turning into killing fields for Sikhs in which thousands innocents lost lives to wanton state brutality. What was the exact numbers of Sikhs killed in the decade following 1984 will never be known. The bodies of those killed were disposed off through burning in crematoriums without maintaining any records or thrown into the canals crisscrossing the Indian Punjab. In an inquiry conducted by National Human Rights Commission under the orders of the Supreme Court of India and upheld by the CBI, 2097 bodies were cremated by the Punjab Police as unclaimed / unidentified in the police districts of Amritsar, Majitha and Taran Taran alone between Jun 1984 and Dec 1994, without following lawful procedures. At least 10,000 Punjabi Sikhs “disappeared” without a trace leaving their families to face the torture of lifelong anguish, pain and helplessness.

Nanavati Commission was set up in 2000, after a lapse of sixteen years to investigate the events. Its report, submitted in 2005, recommended action against Congress leaders Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar and H.K.L.Bhagat for instigating the mobs to attack and kill Sikhs but no action against these politicians has materialized.  Six IPS officials were found directly responsible for negligence in preventing mob violence and recommended for termination of service without further inquiry. No action has been taken by the authorities. Taking the case to a final wrap-up, in 2007, the CBI announced that it was closing the investigations related to 1984 anti Sikh riots for lack of evidence. It speaks volumes of the Indian apathy to the Sikh pain that despite two commissions and eight committees set up to identify those responsible for the riots not one politician or senior police officer has been punished for criminal culpability despite passage of a quarter century.

So much misery has been wrought on the Sikh community but will there ever be justice for the wounds inflicted on the bruised community? The chances are bleak even as a Sikh holds the seat of power in India. In fact Manmohan Singh is on record to have described the torture, killings and disappearances in the Indian Punjab as mere “aberrations” in the fight against terrorism.

In Pakistan Sikhs remain a much admired minority for their adaptability, industriousness and enterprise. As regards Jaspal, one feels profoundly sad for his death, like hundreds other Pakistanis who lost their lives to the Taleban brutality. Pakistan can rightfully pride itself in resolutely taking the fight to the obscurantist forces that killed him. Beaten and bruised the Taleban threat has visibly receded leaving behind heart rending trails of tyranny and persecution; Jaspal tragedy being one among thousands. Pakistan can take rightful pride though, that while enforcing its writ and will, the State of Pakistan has made no communal exceptions between its own citizens, of which Jaspal Singh happened to be one.