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CAUTION: The following article contains graphic details of violence to which Sikhs and Hindus were subjected. However, they are historical facts and no matter how gory, must be presented.
(Continued from last week...)
Not too far from the hotel in Lahore where the Jamaat-E-Islami was spreading vicious poison in the minds of hundreds of misguided Sikh youths, there lies the Lahore Railway Station. It was here that Sikhs were provided the most memorable form of "Support" from the Muslims of Pakistan. Perhaps the shameless spokespersons of Jamaat-E-Islami do not know their own history or perhaps they have forgotten and simply need to be reminded. If only the ignorant Sikh youth who listened to the Muslim declaration of support, could have witnessed the depth of that "Support" over fifty years ago.
If they had, then like the countless Sikh victims of Partition living in India today, who cannot sleep at night because of the flashbacks, the nightmares and the haunted memories of those gestures of "Support" , they too would have cried in pain.
In 1940, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, leader of the Muslim League shocked India by demanding in no uncertain terms, the creation of a separate state for Muslims. It would be a "pure" state cleansed of the Kafir non believers and would thus be called Pakistan (Land of the Pure). Any area of India where Muslims formed the majority would go to Pakistan. The outrageous demands of Jinnah and his Muslims would ensure the seizure and forcible occupation of the Sikh homeland, namely Punjab. Even though the Sikhs populated every single district of Punjab, because of the fact that they were spread out over the districts instead of being concentrated, they were officially considered the "minority" in the provinces.
On August 16th 1946, the Muslim League declared Direct Action Day, the day where all Muslims were exhorted to show their support for the "pious" idea of Pakistan. 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 suits 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 only through shedding blood of others. Muslims are no believers in Ahimsa. Emboldened by these vitriolic words, Muslims poured out on the streets of Calcutta and other northern cities of India in a frenzy of rioting, violence and looting. A private army called Muslim National Guards had been created by the Muslim League especially for momentous occasions such as these. Immense caches of weapons had been secretly amassed, gasoline stored and swords, bludgeons, pistols of all shapes and sizes hoarded for just such an opportunity. Special volunteers had already been given training in the art of stabbing, arson, and shooting, all in the privacy of Mosques. At the same time reams of Muslim propaganda flowed from the Urdu newspapers.
The volcano churned on and on August 16, 1946, it erupted. Swarms of bloodthirsty Muslim mobs tore their way through Calcutta, stabbing, slashing, burning, & massacring every Hindu and Sikh man, woman and child in sight. Thousands of women had their ears and noses chopped off their faces even as they were raped in the presence of their husbands, fathers and sons. Wives, mothers and daughters watched in horror as their menfolk were seized and their genitals mutilated, their extremities chopped off, their eyes gouged and their heads beheaded. For four long endless days, Calcutta burned. In the end the "City of Joy" was littered with the stench of death emanating from the amassed corpses, all Hindus and Sikhs, bloodied victims of the Muslim's "pious" Jehad.
An estimated FIFTY THOUSAND Hindus and Sikhs were massacred and over ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND had to flee for their lives. Then on 2nd September in Noakhali and Tippera, Muslims showed their commitment to Allah yet again in a inhuman frenzy of murder and rapine on thousands of Hindus and Sikhs. It was the Sikhs who took the lead in assembling their Hindu brothers and sisters to defend themselves against the ungodly Muslim hordes. Enraged at the role of the Sikhs in protecting the Hindus, Muslims trained their sights on the hapless Sikhs in West Punjab.
In March 1947 almost the entire Sikh population of millions in Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Gujranwalla, Lahore and hundreds of other areas in West Punjab, were dragged out of their homes by the Muslims. The women were forced to spread their legs. The Kirpans were seized from the Sardars and thrust into their women's vaginas. The followers of Allah turned the Kirpans and twisted them from side to side within the womens' wombs. As the screams of internal bleeding and horrific pain filled the air, they were drowned out by screams of "Allah-O-Akbar". The men had their genitals chopped off and Chilli powder was sprinkled on the wounds. As the victims writhed in pain, chunks of meat were carved out of their children and stuffed into their mouths. Within two weeks, the ENTIRE collective Sikh population of Rawalpindi had been massacred or driven out of the district. Even as the refugees fled towards the East, thousands of Muslims shouted bloodcurdling cries of "Jihad, Jihad" A "Holy" war had been declared against all the Sikhs and Hindus. Countless Gurdwaras and temples were demolished overnight as the shops and houses of Punjab went up in flames.
It was during the dawn of August 12, 1947 that Sikhs of Lahore too got a taste of the memorable Muslim "support". It was a calm morning with slightly overcast skies. The night before Hardyal Singh, a small time businessman had gone to his Muslim neighbour Murtaza's house next door, in order to partake of dinner. Hardyal confided to his friend Murtaza that he was afraid for his life because his relatives who lived in Rawalpindi had been massacred brutally just a few days ago. Murtaza took out a copy of the Holy Quran, shaking it out of the silken green folds in which it was wrapped so carefully. He placed his hand on the Quran and swore by Allah, that he would protect Hardyal and his family to the end. Hardyal was gratified at his Muslim friend's concern and moved to tears. Having partaken of the meal, he bid leave by enveloping his friend in a bear hug. The next moment Hardyal felt a deep agonizing pain in his back. As he instinctively recoiled in pain to hold his back, Hardyal noticed a warm, moist and sticky substance on his fingers. As he looked up, Hardyal Singh's eyes glazed over with terror at the sight of Murtaza's hands holding a curved dagger stained with blood. As he screamed in pain, the last sound Hardyal Singh heard was the voice of Murtaza shouting in bloodcurdling tones, "Allah-O-Akbar, Kill the Kafirs".
By the first ray of sunlight, Lahore was drowned in Sikh blood. Hundreds upon hundreds of Muslims poured out on the streets in droves slicing through the Sikhs, like butchers carving flesh. The bloodied, carved corpses and body parts were meticulously carried and loaded onto trains headed for Amritsar. The men's ears, eyeballs, genitals and noses were chopped off and made into garlands. Livers were strung like festive banners fastened to the windows. The genitalia of women were tattooed with knives. The bloody tattooed messages were clear, that there was no place for "Kafir" filth in "pure" Pakistan. As the trains streamed into Amritsar station, the Hindus and Sikhs were horror struck to see a macabre scene of such repulsive proportions as has surely been never seen before in history. Mangled flesh, blood, hair and bones poked out of every window and door of that train.
The stench was so overwhelming that hundreds fainted. Young teenage girls, their bodies completely naked, their genitals tattooed in bloody, gory detail, their hair trailing in the wind, were piled on the seats. Babies with their entrails hanging out of their stomachs, old women with their eyes gouged out, Men with their ears and noses strung around their neck were sprawled in an obscene mockery of all principles of humanity. All over the windows, paper banners fluttered with the slogans of Islamic Pakistan, "Pakistan's Gift to Hindustan" the words leered. A mountain of Sikh turbans tumbled out as the doors were opened. Within each Turban, the Pakistani Muslims had placed with judicious care, the severed hands of hundreds of their victims. Some still had the Sikh Karas dangling helplessly from them.
As the outrage and horror rose in the city of Amritsar, Muslims of Amritsar took out well organized processions. The areas near the Golden Temple were besieged by Muslim rioters. Their objective was clear; to seek out and strike at the very heart of Sikh culture.
The Harmandar Sahib or Golden Temple as it is known is the single most sacred pilgrimage center of the Sikh religion. Amritsar is the holiest city of the Sikhs primarily due to its historical heritage. Amritsar is not an ordinary city. It was built around a sacred lake of water known for its curative properties. Bhagwan Shree Ramachandra himself spent a part of his exile in the forest around the lake To this day that area is known as Ram Tirth Sthan. Even the indefatigable Hindu warriors, the Pandavas had taken holy water from the sacred lake to sprinkle on Bhima and bring him back to life. The great Hindu sages, Valmiki and Veda Vyasa who composed the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata respectively, lived nearby in the areas of Ram Tirth and Hari-ke-Pattan.
Sikh history tells us that when the site for Harmandar Sahib was being dug, the pick-axes and the shovels unearthed the body of a hermit sitting in a meditative posture as if still in deep communion with the divine. This tank, built by the fifth Guru, Arjan Dev, was named Amrit Sarovar (lake of nectar). Later, the township around the temple derived its nomenclature from this and came to be known as Amritsar. From Guru Nanak Dev to Guru Ramdas, from Guru Hargobind to Guru Arjan Dev, Amritsar and Harmandar Sahib have been sanctified by the blessings of Sikh Gurus and Hindu saints from time immemorial.
Countless generations of Muslims have tried and failed to destroy this sacred space. In 1762, the Harmandar Sahib was blown up by a heap of gun powder by the Afghans and the resplendent tank of nectar was filled with sewage, human waste and mutilated Sikh bodies, the victims of the Muslim oppression. Towards the beginning of 1767, Ahmad Shah Abdali made a final bid to assault the Harmandar Sahib and destroy the heart of the Sikh religion, but like countless other times, the hallowed temple withstood the assault.
As the Muslims advanced towards this very holy spot in a determined bid to deal a mortal blow to Sikhism once and for all, a handful of Sikhs and Hindus under Jathedar Udham Singh Nagoke faced the menacing mob. In what must surely go down as one of the greatest chronicles of courage in history, this handful of warriors showed the Muslims what Kshatriya spirit truly means. Armed only with their Kirpans and a few Lathis, the brave warriors blocked the progress of the seething, fulminating Islamic mob which was armed to the teeth with daggers, short swords and a few pistols. A miraculous blaze of immortal courage must have erupted within those young men as their cries of "Wahe Guru da Khalsa.....Wahe Guru di Fateh" resonated through the streets of Amritsar. Like fierce lions possessed with indomitable courage, the youths fended off the Muslim mob of thousands single handedly. They kept them at bay until other Sikhs and Hindus could arrive to tackle the enemy. As help arrived, the Muslims, finding themselves outnumbered, began to flee, but by then the floodgates of rage had burst open. The Sikhs and Hindus of Amritsar gave a fitting reply to the Muslims in the trains that went back to Lahore and other parts of Pakistan that day.
Despite the best attempts of Jamaat-E-Islami and other Muslim terrorists of Pakistan, the Sikhs have NOT forgotten Partition and will never forget. The scenes of carnage, rape, pillage and destruction are etched with blood in the heart of every true Sikh. It was this legacy of history given to us by the Muslims which motivated them to be the proudest, fiercest defenders of the nation during the 1965 war with Pakistan.
During the war, in the border districts, the Sikh population rose to a man to meet the crisis. It stood solidly behind the Indian Army and assisted them at every step. It provided guides to the newly inducted troops and offered free labor and vehicles, country carts, tractors and trucks to transport war supplies to the forward-most trenches. Instead of fleeing in panic , Sikhs right up to the frontier stayed fearlessly in their homes, plying their ploughs and tending their cattle.
When the main approach routes to the front were assigned, they set up booths serving refreshments to the soldiers. When Pakistani parachutists glided down to Indian lines, the Sikhs swooped down upon mercilessly. Every time the villagers saw the parachutes opening up in the blue skies, they grabbed their ploughs, their lathis, their axes and swords and surrounded the Pakistani enemy even before he had landed.
From Kutch to Baltistan , from Himachal to Ladakh, Indian Army's most senior commanders in the Punjab sector were always Sikhs. Lieut-General Harbakhsh Singh, with his chief of staff, Major-General Joginder Singh, commanded the entire Western zone and was, as such, the principal architect of India's victory. Lieut-General Joginder Singh Dhillon, Brigadier Parkash Singh Grewal, artillery commander, Brigadier S.S. Kalha, comandeered the brilliant strategies implemented in Punjab and Rajasthan. North of the Ravi, Major-General Rajinder Singh 'Sparrow', commanding an armored division, recorded a marvelous feat in the history of tank warfare by a lightning putsch towards Sialkot, Narowal, his Centurions humbling Pakistan's prestigious American gifted Pattons and Chaffees. The Khem Karan sector was turned into the graveyard of the Pakistani Patton tanks. South of the Sutlej, Brigadier Bant Singh, commanding an independent brigade group, defended stoutly an extensive border covering the entire Ferozepore and Ganganagar districts. Both at Hussainiwala and Fazilka, Sikh battalion commanders held fast to their positions despite intensely heavy shelling by Pakistan artillery. The Indian Air Force, under the command of the Sikh Air Chief Marshal, Arjan Singh, made devastating strikes and surprised military experts the world over by decisively outpacing a far better equipped, force.
Today even as Pakistan pursues its fruitless endeavor to illegally occupy Indian land, Hindus and Sikhs are fighting side to defend this Motherland of ours. The spirits of Bhai Banda Bahadur and Guru Gobind Singh, of Arjuna and Abhimanyu are living again within the warriors in Kargil. The incredible forbearance of Bhai Banda Bahadur even as his body was hacked to pieces, the perseverance of Abhimanyu even as he was surrounded by the Kauravas, all these immortal qualities that define the identity of Indianness, are living and breathing today in the indomitable courage of these soldiers. Kshatriyahood in all its splendor burns in the heart of every defender of this nation whether he be Sikh, Hindu, Jain or Buddhist.
It is this unity that the Muslims of Pakistan want to undermine. But in their haste they have forgotten that the vast boundaries of Mother India have nourished, nurtured and sustained this culture of unity eons before the Prophet of Islam was even born. During the macabre story of Partition, it was in the village of Thoh Khalsa, Pakistan that the supreme instance of this bond was demonstrated. Over One thousand Sikh and Hindu sisters joined hands, their heads covered with their Chunnis, and with one cry, jumped into a well to save their honor from the Muslim mob that was descending upon them. The honor of the Hindu and the Sikh are so intricately tied together that none can unravel the threads which bind them.
Is the shared heritage of Hindus and Sikhs so cheap that it could be forgotten for a few sweet words spoken with a poisoned tongue? Do the Muslims of Pakistan think that the very same Hindus and Sikhs on whom they effected genocide for centuries could forget the very reason for their resistance?
It was the defense of the Sanatan Dharma from these very same Muslim invaders, which prompted the supreme sacrifice of every Sikh Guru and millions of Sikhs.
For centuries the followers of Islam have tried their best to separate these two inseparable sons of sacred Mother India.
There is no element in the universe which can forge the blade that could cut this bond asunder.
For the bond between the Hindus and Sikhs is that of oneness. The two are none other than reflections of the same Self rooted in the eternal soil of India, the Supreme Self of the Vedas and the Wahe Guru of the Granth Sahib.
