This booklet is an attempt to present in a brief manner the demand which the Sikh people have formulated for being given a State in their Homeland, the Punjab. This particular demand which in its essence is quite old, has come to be emphasized and put forth with full vigour by the Sikhs all over the Punjab and outside, and is at present the national political objective of the Sikh people. The background o’ the Demand, its historical and constitutional basis and other allied matters will be found dis- cussed at some length in the course of the treatise itself. It need only be said here that the Sikhs have arrived at the objective of demanding a State for themselves after making trial of, safeguards, communal settlements and various kinds of guarantees. With the best of intentions, constitutional safeguards and guarantees cannot be sufficient to protect smaller peoples these days against powerful and organized majorities. We are living in times of total mobilization of peoples. The pressure of majorities tells. The Sikhs are keenly alive, on the basis of the experience of the past, to the danger of living in a state of permanent dependence upon the rule of any majority—Hindu, Muslim or other. They have, therefore, made up their mind not to trust to safeguards, any longer but to carve out a State for themselves, in which they can be independent, free from interference and suppression and in which they can develop their individuality and strength.
Democracy as a political system is good within homogeneous societies, but where permanent and unalterable barriers exist, unadulterated democracy proves ruinous to small groups, which are placed permanently in a position of helpless- ness. For the minorities only one democratic safeguard is adequate, and that is that the majority agree to shed its character of majority and accept a position of parity with the minority. Unless such willingness is forthcoming on the part of the Muslims in the Punjab it is apparent that the Sikhs have no reason to feel secure The only alternative to such an arrange- ment is the splitting up of the Punjab, and carving the Sikh State out of its present boundaries.
The Sikh demand is not based upon the spirit of aggressive communalism. It is the only effective scheme for survival which they can think of in these critical days of communal bitterness and imminent persecution and attempt at extermination or absorption. The Sikhs make an appeal to the conscience of the world to recognize their right of survival and to give them that self-determination which is the ad- mitted right of nations all over the world. They hope that their small voice will not go unheard in the midst of the blare of the big trumpets of larger and more powerful groups, who occupy the centre of the stage in discussions and negotiations.
The authors take the opportunity to express their gratitude to Sardar Sadhu Singh Hamdard of the Daily Ajit for a number of valuable suggestions, and for placing voluminous material pertinent to the subject at their disposal. Lahore. 5th April 1946.
GURBACHAN SINGH Lal SINGH GIANI
