AMRITSAR India: It is almost a year since Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi won nationwide acclaim for an accord with moderate Sikhs that seemed likely to end the separatist violence in northern Punjab state.

But as the July 23 anniversary approaches no major part of the pact has been implemented Sikh freedom fighters function with immunity in their drive for an independent nation and the states moderate Sikh government is in disarray.

To make matters worse the communal clashes and violent murders have so fired passions that even security forces have been infected by the growing mistrust and violence between practitioners of the two religions.

Fearful Hindus have begun trickling out of Punjab so alarming the state and central governments that Para-military forces have been given control of the two districts where Sikh freedom fighters are most active.

Many observers believe it is only a matter of time before the troops are used in Punjab for the first time since former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi sent the army to raid the Golden Temple of Amritsar in 1984.

Fears also are being voiced that the accord itself — achieved by Rajiv Gandhi after only seven months in power — may never be implemented or at least not while there is still enough popular support to make it work.

“People in Punjab are gradually losing their faith in the bona fides of the Indian government” said Harish Puri a political science professor at Amritsar’s Guru Nanak Dev University.

“The Indian government should try to see that the accord is implemented soon it is certainly in Jeopardy at the moment.”

“When the accord was signed we hoped we would get peace” added R.L-Kapoor secretary general of the Amritsar Chamber of Commerce. “But daily the situation became worse Now we feel there is no government set up in Punjab.”

Shades of doubt have been crept into statements by Gandhi himself Faced with the killing of more than 200 people this year he now says security considerations should be given top priority.

And embattled Punjab Chief Minister Surjit Singh Barnala when asked about the pact he helped to forge says he can only “hope and pray” that it will be put into practice.

The accord was aimed at redressing Sikh political and economic surveillances and was supposed to end four years of agitation for greater autonomy in Punjab by the moderate Sikh party the Akali Dal. The purpose was also to isolate the freedom fighters in their campaign for an independent nation of “Khalistan”.

The Akali Dal swept to power in subsequent state elections in September on a pledge to implement the agreement and it was hoped that with bloodshed-weary Punjabis backing the government the freedom fighters would lose their support.

But the state and central governments have so far missed two deadlines — most recently June 21 —for enforcing the key provision under which Punjab would get full control of the disputed city of Chandigarh in a land swap with neighboring Haryana state

Two commissions have found themselves unable to decide what territory Punjab must surrender in exchange for Chandigarh which has served as the capital of both states for 20 years and Barnala has rejected the appointment of a third casting doubt on a new July 15 deadline.

Potentially even more difficult to implement observers say is a provision requiring Punjab and Haryana to share river waters need end by both for agriculture the main industry of the two states

Meanwhile Barnalas group on office has become threatened with the defection of 27 Akali Dal legislators who are now opposed to the pact. Only the backing of opposition parties in the state legislature including Gandhi’s Congress (I) adherents prevents his ouster.

Sikh historian Prof. Prithi Pal Singh Kapur an advisor on the Pact said the longer it remains unimplemented the greater becomes the threat that the opposition parties will tire of supporting Barnala.

With no other moderate Sikh leader willing to work with Gandhi for the accord and his Congress (I) Party lacking the state assembly seats needed to form a government Kapur said Gandhi might dissolve the legislature and impose direct rule from New Delhi as his mother did once before

Such a step Kapur warmed would serve to legitimatize the freedom fighters claim of discrimination against the Sikhs by the central government and harden their resolve to gain independence through bloodshed.

Article extracted from this publication >> July 4, 1986