Opinion Manpreet Singh Badal writes on Amritpal Singh arrest drama: After failure of insurgency in Kashmir, Pakistan is working on Punjab once again

Shortly after the Simla accord, Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto called a meeting of newspaper editors, where he claimed that Pakistan would respond with a trump card in the form of a Sikh homeland. A few years later, General Zia-ul-Haq ousted Bhutto, but the policy continued. The Pakistani Army wanted to reclaim lost ground. The Afghan jihad was one way of doing so. If only Pakistan could sow seeds of hatred and discord in Indian Punjab, they could claim one small victory. Gen Zia, with his DG of ISI Akhtar Abdur Rahman Khan began plotting the seeds of dissension.

The nefarious plot spewed many benefits for Pakistan: A disgruntled Sikh populace would be wary of acting as the sword arm of India. Punjab, a state with the (then) highest per capita income would be weakened. The access road to Kashmir came via Punjab, and if Punjab was scorching, access to Kashmir would be difficult. The foundation of India being a secular country would come under stress if Sikhs were portrayed as having moved away from the majority Hindu populace. India could lose the moral ground of being the world’s largest democracy which is also inclusive in the eyes of the world.

That Punjab started simmering before Kashmir was no coincidence. The arms meant for the Afghan jihad were diverted to Punjab and Kashmir. DG ISI Lt Gen Hamid Gul is reported to have remarked that having an active group of Sikh militants in Punjab was akin to having an entire division (or even a strike corps) working for Pakistan.

Why was Punjab singled out for creating disturbances by the Pakistani establishment? The reasons were manifold. It is a border state, the sword arm, prosperous, and exerted a considerable influence in India. The turbulent 1980s stand out as one of the worst decades in contemporary history. Operation Bluestar and the November 1984 killings in Delhi are significant indicators. At the same time, Assam was simmering, and the foundation was being laid for the Kashmir insurgency.

The Punjab economy never recovered after a decade of terrorism, which created a generation of youngsters who cannot find employment or be engaged in the economy. That creates a significant segment of the population that is young and unable to gain beneficial employment and is prone to being weaned away by drugs and anti-national forces. The radicalisation of political discourse can also pave the way for anti-national elements.

One must stress that every political disagreement does not necessarily generate wayward forces. For instance, the split in the Shiromani Akali Dal in 1999 did not lead to a revival of militancy. The political leadership of both factions understood the pitfalls of any such development. A mature political leadership can thwart any attempts at digression from the mainstream.

This brings us to the issue of drugs. Drugs were another way of weakening Punjab and ensuring that youngsters hooked on drugs would never be fit to serve in the armed forces — be it the military, paramilitary or police. Secondly, addicts would be used as couriers in lieu of their services. Third, the impact of drugs on the state economy is substantial. Fourth, with the police focussed on battling the drug menace, the field is often left open to criminal elements. Once again, this cocktail of drug trafficking, criminal gangs, and anti-India elements could lead to a second round of weakening, allowing the Pakistani establishment to assist and aid anti-India elements in playing their game.

The political and economic destabilisation currently playing out in Pakistan is what India needs to keep a close watch on. To divert the attention of the Pakistani populace from the travails they are currently enduring, their military establishment will again look towards fomenting trouble in Punjab. Pakistan faces significant issues. Their country is beset with its highest inflation rate ever. Secondly, their armed forces and military establishment face the ire of the population for grabbing the lion’s share of resources and engaging in relentless political engineering. Once again, they are trying to take a leaf out of General Zia’s book and divert the attention of the masses by launching a covert war against India.

It is no coincidence that after the failure of the insurgency in Kashmir following the revoking of Article 370, Pakistan is working on Punjab once again. Within months, they launched a radical anti-India separatist in the form of Amritpal Singh. What stands in front of these sinister efforts is the centuries-strong Hindu-Sikh unity that fissiparous tendencies could not damage in the 1980s.

Punjab has faced close to 400 invasions over its history and has always been the apple of India’s eye. History tells us that the state is the beacon of Indian nationalism. It has repeatedly paid the price for being a frontline Indian state. A weakened Punjab harms India. An empowered Punjab acts as a bastion.

The writer is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party and a former finance minister of Punjab