Welcome to Seerat.ca
Welcome to Seerat.ca

"ਛੋਟੀ ਮਾਂ ਦਾ ਵੱਡਾ ਹੌਸਲਾ"

 

- ਮੰਗਤ ਰਾਮ ਪਾਸਲਾ

ਗੱਲਾਂ ‘ਚੋਂ ਗੱਲ਼ੀ

 

- ਬਲਵਿੰਦਰ ਗਰੇਵਾਲ

ਸਾਹਿਤਕ ਸਵੈਜੀਵਨੀ / ਜ਼ਰਖ਼ੇਜ਼ ਜ਼ਮੀਨ ਵਿੱਚ ਡਿੱਗਦੇ ਬੀਜ

 

- ਵਰਿਆਮ ਸਿੰਘ ਸੰਧੂ

ਚੋਲ੍ਹਰ ਪਾ ਕੇ ਉੱਡੀਆਂ ਚਿੜੀਆਂ

 

- ਡਾ. ਬਲਵਿੰਦਰ ਕੌਰ ਬਰਾੜ

ਵਕਤ ਦੇ ਨਾਲ ਨਾਲ

 

- ਗੁਲਸ਼ਨ ਦਿਆਲ

ਔਰਤ ਦੀ ਤਾਕਤ

 

- ਬੇਅੰਤ ਗਿੱਲ ਮੋਗਾ

ਵਗਦੀ ਏ ਰਾਵੀ / ਅਖ਼ਬਾਰ ਦੇ ਸੰਪਾਦਕ ਨਾਲ ਮੁਲਾਕਾਤ

 

- ਵਰਿਆਮ ਸਿੰਘ ਸੰਧੂ

ਇੰਜ ਮਹਿਸੂਸ ਕੀਤਾ ਮੈਂ ਸ਼ਿਮਲਾ ਵੇਖ ਕੇ

 

- ਮਲਿਕਾ ਮੰਡ

ਲਿਖਤ ਪੜਤ: ਕਰਾਮਾਤੀ ਰਚਨਾ

 

- ਮੰਗੇ ਸਪਰਾਏ

ਮੈਂ ਤਾਂ ਪੁੱਤ ਕੱਲੀ ਰਹਿਜੂੰ

 

- ਵਕੀਲ ਕਲੇਰ

Indian establishment glorifies controversial figure over real Vancouver hero

 

- Gurpreet Singh

 


Indian establishment glorifies controversial figure over real Vancouver hero
- Gurpreet Singh

 

The recent decision of the Indian government to declare Sarabjit Singh, an alleged spy who died after being assaulted in a Pakistani jail a martyr, lacks wisdom.
Sarabjit Singh was convicted by the Pakistani courts for 1990 bombings that left 14 people dead. Though Singh had claimed innocence and there were efforts to get him released on humanitarian grounds at the government’s level, the Indian authorities have chosen to describe him a martyr or brave son of soil following his death in Jinnah Hospital in Pakistan, where he was struggling for life after being left viciously attacked by the jail inmates.
Until recently, Singh’s family and his Canada-based supporters claimed that he had accidentally crossed the international border between India and Pakistan and was wrongly implicated in the crime. A few Canadians spearheaded campaign for his release.
His native village, Bhikhiwind is situated close to the zero line that divides India and Pakistan. His family claimed that he had mistakenly strayed into the Pakistan territory.
Incidentally, Bhai Bhag Singh, a towering leader of the East Indian community in Vancouver, who was assassinated by a spy of the British Empire in 1914, belonged to the same village. He was in the forefront of the struggle for right to vote to the Indian immigrants and had challenged the racist immigration laws of the Canadian government. He was associated with the Ghadar Party, a group that believed in an armed rebellion against the British Empire that occupied India back then. Ghadar Party was formed by the Indian immigrants on the pacific coast of North America in 1913 to resist racism and foreign occupation of their homeland. The movement was born out of discriminatory experiences endured by these men as the British government did not come to their rescue whenever there was an assault on their rights from the White supremacy. Since these men came to this part of the world as British subjects and Canada too was a British colony, they were disillusioned by the indifference of the Empire. Bhag Singh had previously served in the British army. As a mark of protest he organized an event where the former British Sikh soldiers burnt their medals and uniforms, severing loyalty towards the Empire. Bhag Singh died after being shot by Bela Singh, an agent of the Immigration department that spied on the East Indian community in Vancouver.
Whereas, the Indian establishment has completely forgotten Bhag Singh and his contributions with no significant effort to raise a fitting memorial for him at his native village, a controversial figure like Sarabjit Singh has received extra ordinary attention. The development comes when Ghadar Party centenary is being celebrated in India and other parts of the world.
The fatal attack on Singh in Pakistani jail followed the hanging of a Pakistani extremist, Ajmal Amir Kasab, who was behind the terror attack on Mumbai, India in 2008 that left more than 100 people dead. Had Pakistan declared him a hero, the Indian government would have quickly branded their neighbours a ``terrorist state’’. How wise therefore the move to glorify Sarabjit Singh as hero can be?
Even otherwise, how can a man become martyr while being an innocent victim of circumstances? By declaring him a martyr, the government has actually belittled the real martyrs and national heroes, like Bhag Singh who fought consciously against injustices.
At a strategic level too this is a bad decision. It is like an indirect endorsement of a terrorist crime allegedly committed by Singh in Pakistan.
Let’s face it that the Indian government failed to handle the whole affair appropriately. Just to pacify public anger and hide its own weaknesses, it is trying to silence its critics by indulging in jingoism.
 

-0-

Home  |  About us  |  Troubleshoot Font  |  Feedback  |  Contact us

© 2007-11 Seerat.ca, Canada

Website Designed by Gurdeep Singh +91 98157 21346 9815721346