The Liberator, a Sikh newspaper published in India (New Delhi), 21st September 1947 (WO 208/3811)
Transcript
Liberator
Spokesman of the Sikh People
New Delhi. Sunday September, 21, 1947
ALL THAT GLITTERS IS GOLD HERE
…
LET PATIALA LEAD THE PANTH TO GLORY
Sir,
The heinous and suicidal decision of the Punjab Boundary Commission has been implemented. To say the least, it is highly disappointing from the Sikh’s point of views- A clever British I lawyer has deprived us of our innumerable holy shrines, including our Mecca and Jerusalem, Sri Nankana Sahib, and more than 70 per cent, of our holdings just with one stroke of his pen. Can any Sikh tolerate this intolerable position? Most certainly not. The clarion call of our lost prestige and fatally wounded pride beckons all of us to stake our all now and here in the struggle either to win it or to meet a martyr’s death.
Hark, there is another voice. It is not so soul-inspiring as the first, but it is saner and seems more promising. We do not want war to lose it and thus be deprived of whatever is left with us. We want a war to win it and get our due share. Winning of war requires large, efficient and well-equipped army and vast resources. Our opponents no more consist of partially trained and poorly equipped fanatic mobs. They have now been reinforced by strong, well-trained and highly equipped army, whereas, our strength and our army are in the hands of those who dare not risk anything for us at this moment. Thus to fight our enemies now is to invite our own disaster.
It is no cowardice if we utilise this time in strengthening our hold at one point and then wait for a chance, which will not be in the distant future, to pounce upon those who dare stand between our due share and us.
Let us unanimously choose the Maharajadhiraj of Patiala the head of our community and I then put our demand before the Indian Union that the whole of the Punjabi speaking area of the East Punjab be joined with the territory of Patiala State. The Maharaja of Patiala should be preferred to other Sikh rulers for the simple reason that nearly a million of our stout bretheren are residing in that State. Our compact and constitutional union with them at this juncture will create a new sense of self confidence and security among our ranks and files who have been greatly unnerved by the recent sad happenings in the Punjab. We should solemnly assure the congress and our Hindu bretheren that the new State thus formed will remain within the Indian Union and guard its western frontiers stoutly and faithfully and that it will follow democratic principles.
The creation of a bigger Sikh State is a matter of urgent necessity, otherwise we will not be able either to stop the present haphazard mass migration of our men from the West Punjab, which is economically so disasterous to us or to rehabilitate to our national advantage those who have already come to this side. Only States with their vast resources and prestige, and not private bodies, however well organised these may be, can hope to tackle these mighty problems successfully.
May God grant us sufficient courage, determination, unity and above all constructive statesmanship to enable us to realise our dream of Khalistan.
Khalistan Zinda Bad. Jubbulpore.
AMAR SINGH.