and progressive people. Their presence in almost every country of the world is proof patent of this quality.
General Avitabile, an Italian from near Naples, who was in the employ of the Sikh Kingdom in the 19th century, while posted as governor of peeve which then was part of the Sikh Kingdom, said about the Sikhs:-
“I like Sikhs because they are so simple-minded… and have none of the religious prejudices against Europeans as the Persians and Afghans have.”
Sikhs have had the fortunate advantage of learning modern civil and military Government under the hundred year’s British rule of their former Kingdom. One of the advantages of the British rule in fact was that Sikhs were filling the armed forces far in excess of their population ratio; there were some 30% in the entire armed forces. The new Hindu regime has made sure that Sikhs no longer remain in the armed forces in such a prominent position. Their strength has gradually been cut down to less that 114% of the total armed forces.
Nevertheless there is excellent administrative, if not leadership, material available to the Sikhs to run the new state. This is in both the civil and military aspects of Government. Sikh administrators and scholars, scientists, professors, of the caliber of S. Kapur Singh, a former member of the Indian Civil Service and a former Member of Parliament, and many others still in the service of the Government of New Delhi, albeit under trying and stressful circumstances, could supply an excellent corps for a Sikh civil Government. Furthermore, Sikhs engaged in advanced occupations in Europe and America, would be an asset to the new Government due to these reasons. The active Sikh Youth group, which has been noticeable in India for the past 3 decades at least, will be a great force contributing to the achievement of Khalistan. Their role would be an important one. After all, it has within the last decade, been possible to overthrow a Greek military rule through a student movement in Athens.
These new circumstances of Sikhs may well off-set the historical habitual apathy of these people in terms of their political future. Our Punjabi Muslim compatriot, Sir Fazil-i-Hussain, aptly recorded in 1925 this conspicuous political apathy of Sikhs, in this observation:-
“Hindu considers political matters and their implications years ahead. The Musalman tries to tackle them just in time. But the Sikh never thinks of them unless the time is actually past and the matter is well settled. The Sikh brain is intoxicated and obscured with the memory that once they ruled over Punjab, and they quite forget that the tail of the Sikh lion has been twisted by the British.” 1.
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- Bhai Sahib S. Kapur Singh: “Sachi Sakhi”, Navyug Publishers, Delhi, 1979, p. 70.
