In a rare and unprecedented posture, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) rejected the Indian Army’s statement that Pakistan had intended to target the Golden Temple in Amritsar with drones and missiles, much before Pakistan Army or the Pakistan government did that.
The statement was made by Major General Kartik C Seshadri, General Officer Commanding, 15 Infantry Division, in Amritsar on Monday. The interesting part is that the SGPC refuted the Indian Army’s statement even before the Pakistan government or its Army did it. There was no denial from the Pakistan Army till Tuesday. The denial from the Pakistan government’s foreign ministry came the next day, about 24 hours after the SGPC denial.
It is strange the way SGPC came out with such a statement with a categorical and unambiguous stand that Pakistan did not target the Golden Temple. This was probably under the assumption that Pakistan would not like to antagonise the Sikh community by trying to target their holiest shrine. What Mecca is to the Muslims, Golden Temple is to the Sikhs.
Pakistan has been mistakenly and mischievously assuming some sort of alienation among the Sikh community while trying to use fringe elements like Gurpatwant Singh Pannu of the Sikhs for Justice. Pannu does not have any following anywhere in the world, more so in Punjab. As the self-proclaimed guardian of the rights of Sikhs, he announced his support for Pakistan in war against India. This was obviously done with provocative intentions to create discord in India. Sikhs across India have repeatedly rejected him and they rejected him this time as well.
Pakistan government tried to play mischief when it announced a series of measures against India after the Government of India suspended the Indus Water Treaty in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. While it cancelled visas of all Indian citizens, it excluded the Sikhs saying that their visas will not be cancelled. Interestingly, it is the members of the Muslim community who were affected the most by the visa cancellation by the Pakistan government. It is the members of the Muslim community who mostly travel between the two countries owing to relations they have maintained even after the partition of the country.
During the Pakistan attack in Poonch sector on May 7 in the immediate aftermath of India’s strikes on terror bases in Pakistan, the main target was a gurdwara, where three persons, including the granthi, got killed. That way the SGPC’s assumption is wrong and misplaced that Pakistan cannot and will not attack a Sikh shrine.
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It is also a fact that a number of drones and missiles did fly into Punjab, particularly Amritsar, during the hostilities. Debris from drones and missiles was found along the border areas. It is quite possible that drones or missiles could have hit the Golden Temple also if they had not been intercepted. But the Army apparently avoided joining the issue with the SGPC and rightly so.
Trusting an enemy and that too during the war is no wisdom as everything is fair in love and war. There is every possibility that the Pakistan Army could have targeted the Golden Temple and put the blame on the Indian Army for the same. Given the trust deficit, as was evident in the SGPC’s reaction to the army statement, it becomes more important to ensure the security and protection from any possible attack on the Golden Temple. The Pakistan Army is capable of doing anything to sow the seeds of discord in India.
While the SGPC took an unusual stand, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal tried to resort to damage control by appreciating and thanking the armed forces for protecting Punjab from the enemy’s attacks. He avoided a direct comment on the SGPC statement, saying the SGPC president was the right person to comment on that.
Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla was, however, categorical in thanking the Indian Army for protecting the Golden Temple.
This may sound to be a minor gaffe or a communication gap, but the issue is quite serious. Had there been no trust deficit, the SGPC would never have rushed with such a statement, which has immense political and diplomatic consequences. The Government of India will do well to address this trust deficit that was quite evident in SGPC’s stand. It is not in the long-term interest of the country to allow any such trust deficit to fester lest it leads to alienation. And there are elements, which are working round the clock to fan such fires.
There was another issue about the Indian Army having installed the Air Defence System on the Golden Temple premises. This statement was widely reported in the media and attributed to a senior army officer. This was again rejected by the SGPC saying that no such system was installed anywhere inside the Golden Temple. The SGPC said no permission was sought and no permission was granted as was attributed to the senior army officer.
However, the Indian Army apparently, in an attempt at damage control, came out with a denial that no ADS was installed inside the Golden Temple during the hostilities.
Something somewhere seems to be amiss. And it is quite sensitive and serious.
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