Black Lists Issue of Non-Resident Punjabis

The so-called blacklist of non-resident Punjabis abroad is currently a burning topic. The list includes names of thousands of Sikh leaders. In the wake of the Sikh movement in Punjab, Indian intelligence agencies have been consistently hunting down community members. Sikhs have settled in about 80 countries of the world. In all of them, a network of Indian intelligence agencies is also active.

Figure in Blacklist
On the basis of reports prepared by these agencies the names of thousands of Sikhs have been put on the list. Those whose names figure in the blacklist cannot return to India. If they commit the mistake of coming to the country, they are immediately jailed. These Sikhs are not issued passports, or their passports not renewed. The governments of other countries treat them as suspects and are not provided with any documents.

No firm information is made available about Sikhs included in the blacklist. The government, as and when it deem necessary, incorporates fresh names or delete some others. The list is generally prepared on the directives of the federal Home Ministry. Reports are sought from Indian intelligence agencies in foreign countries and then public reports are submitted by the state and district concerned to the Home Ministry. Hence, the blacklist is prepared jointly by the federal government and the Punjab Government.

Disturbance and Sikh Leaders
Punjab now is far from any disturbance and Sikh leaders also are not engaged in any violent activity. It is distressing that even then they are being harassed by incorporating their names in the blacklist. What is more disturbing is the fact that even as no case of violent acts against these Sikh leaders is filed, neither in India nor abroad, their names continue to figure in the list.

If an individual has been living peacefully over the past two-and-half decades then meting out criminal treatment to them cannot be termed as a human approach. A number of Sikhs figuring in the blacklist have earned good reputation in foreign countries. Some of them are running business worth millions of rupees. Notwithstanding all this and the fact that they are regular tax payers, they are being meted out treatment at par with criminals.

Inhuman Approach
The Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal are making all sorts of claims over the black lists. The actual truth on the hand is that both these parties are equally responsible for the preparation of the blacklist. If the Punjab government and union government so desire they can revoke the blacklist in toto. It is a stark reality that without the reports of the Punjab police no Sikh can be included in the blacklist. If the Punjab Government sends authentic reports to the union government then the lists can be shelved altogether at the earliest. They are unwilling to deliver justice to the Sikh minority in the matter.

The Congress is under an illusion that only a few hundred Sikhs figure in the blacklist. The fact is that 10,000-15,000 Sikhs are included in it. The community should raise its voice in the matter at all levels. It is high time to oppose the inhuman approach being adopted by the federal government as well as the Punjab Government in the matter.

Atrocities Against Sikhs in Pakistan

In Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan, the Taliban killed two Sikhs by beheading them, which has exposed how hollow the Pakistani Government's claims are. The Taliban have already imposed Jazia tax (tax on non-Muslims) on Sikhs.
Every Sikh has to pay Rs1000 annually to practice his religion. These Sikhs are Pakistani citizens and have been living there from before partition. Until 2009, there were more than 10,000 Sikhs in this region, who have left their homes and shifted to cities like Peshawar after the Jazia tax was imposed. Now, only around 500 Sikhs remain in the tribal areas because of the Taliban's terror rule.

India's Initiative
Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram has stated that Sikhs who had gone abroad during the phase of militancy in Punjab and wish to abandon militancy like Kashmiri militants can be considered to stage a return to the national mainstream. Chidambaram's observation can be termed a welcome statement though it cannot be said whether it can be implemented.
Its chief reason is that the attitude of successive union governments, especially of the Congress-led governments, toward Sikh issues has been cynical all through in the past. Hence Sikhs cannot expect much of the claims made by the federal government.
The Indian Government has condemned the killing of Sikhs by the Taliban and has strongly criticized Pakistan. Democratic politics is also on the boil on this issue. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has asked why the Indian Government did not do anything when these people were abducted. It is but natural for India to be angry with this kind of brutal killing, but it should not be termed as the government's diplomatic failure. These Sikhs are Pakistani citizens and the Indian Government cannot do anything about abduction of Pakistani citizens in Pakistan. It is the Pakistani Government's failure that its laws have no value in its own country. The world community should exert pressure on Pakistan to give guarantee of security to the minorities in that country.

Militancy in Punjab
In 1980s and 1990s, militancy in Punjab was at its peak. Sikhs took up arms at the behest of foreign countries, yet the then Congress-led federal government can be held entirely responsible for meting out injustice to the struggle. Then, Indira Gandhi was at the helm of affairs and she never liked such political parties that posed a challenge to the stable federal government by speaking in terms of granting more powers to the state governments.
In Indira Gandhi's views, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) was a political party to which she desired to impart a lesson. It was such mindset that led to militancy in Punjab.
The phase of militancy in the state was linked to the attack on the Golden Temple, Amritsar, assassination of Indira Gandhi, and killings of Sikhs. In reality, all these incidents are interconnected.
During militancy in the state, Sikh youth migrated to foreign countries because of terrorism in the state. Since then Sikhs have never been meted out justice in any case. The Congress leaders responsible for the killings of Sikhs have not been punished so far.
Recently, terrorist activities in India's Punjab have intensified. Several arrests and recovery of arms and explosives indicate that Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence is again trying to incite Sikh separatists. The religious tax shows how safe Sikhs are in Pakistan, which provides shelter and encouragement to terrorist organizations and still advocates the rights of Sikhs.

Golden Temple Targeted
Indira Gandhi targeted the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the most sacred religious seat of the Sikh community, by razing the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs. The Indian Army killed thousands of innocent Sikhs.
It was as a reaction to the attack that Indira Gandhi was assassinated. In the wake of her assassination, Sikhs were murdered in a well-planned manner.

Fulfilling Sikhs' Desire
It has been repeatedly demanded that Sikhs settled abroad desire to return to India and join the national mainstream. The blacklist should, therefore, be scrapped. Nevertheless, the blacklist continues to be kept intact.
If even moderate Sikhs are not allowed to return to India, how can it be expected that hard-liner Sikhs would be provided an opportunity to stage a comeback to the country and join the national mainstream.
The issue of safety of Sikhs could also be raised in the India-Pakistan talks to be held this week. Pakistani citizens' security is an internal matter of that country and respecting that position is in India's interest, otherwise Pakistan, which is supposedly concerned about the Indian Muslims' safety would get a chance to raise that point. If India wants the security of Pakistani Sikhs, it should provide visa and citizenship to those who want to come and settle here.