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`Peace is prevailing in Punjab' that is what every man, woman and child is saying. The President of Akali Dal (Badal), Mr.Parkash Singh Badal, Ex-Chief Minister of Punjab, contends it as `the lull before the storm.' "The Friends of Punjab" are contesting the government's claim that peace has returned in the state, and they are accusing the Punjab Government for `nursing a false notion'. Mr.K.P.S.Gill, Director General of the Punjab Police remarks in a jovial mood that it is `nearly the end of militancy' in the State. The time alone will tell the truth.

By the time Mr.Beant Singh came into the scene and took over as the Chief Minister of Punjab, the Sikh militant organizations had been heavily `infiltrated' by nefarious element. It is alleged that some of them were the outlaws induced by the Government agencies. The atrocities instigated and committed by `such unscrupulous rudiments' were unspeakably enormous: cases of abduction of young-girls some culminating into rape and forcible marriages, extortion even from poor populace, and some `feigned militants' cashing in on the easy loot and adopting feudal life style. All these acts were bringing ill-fame to the `bona fide militant struggle.'

To keep their head high, and to save themselves adverse publicity, the guileless militants were advised by the Sikh Review, Calcutta, in the middle of 1992, to withdraw the armed struggle and dissociate themselves with the demoralized and criminal mafioso. Had they heeded to that timely advice they would have easily brought the bad element into lime light. Even the atrocities committed by the alleged Government agents would have been exposed. The Sikh nation could have been spared the humiliation it is facing now.

There has been excessive boasting on the part of Congress(I) courtiers for bringing normalcy into Punjab. Mr.Beant Singh is characterized as the Sher-e-Punjab. Paid advertisements, with his pictures and details of his `valorous' actions, are a common feature of media in the state. Mr.Gill is constantly hailed as the saviour of Punjab.

No doubt, the peace is, seemingly, prevailing in Punjab. I travelled extensively on local buses, deluxe coaches, private cars, and Northern Railway. Not even once I observed people grappled in fear. Marriages and other functions are celebrated in full swing. Yellow turbans are seldom on sight. The girls with bare heads, and bob-hair are not infrequent features. I had the opportunity of visiting Punjab University, Chandigarh, Punjabi University, Patiala and Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. I am sorry to say that I found hardly twenty percent of the Sikh students with unshorn beards--and same applies to the lower ranks of Punjab Police Force. I was rather baffled to see a young non-turbaned student smoking relentlessly inside the cafe in Guru Nanak Dev University, right underneath `No Smoking' sticker on a painting. All those strictures imposed by the Militants during the hey days of their glory are now freely flouted.

Since the adoration of militants started to decline, a big upsurge has evolved in the activities of the sectarian groups such as Nirankaris, Radha Soamis, Nanak Sariasa, etc. Their audience is increasing considerably and their operations are becoming much more open and daring.

The queues of the devotees, visiting the sanctum sanctorium, the Golden Temple, are, if not longer, as big as they used to be ten or fifteen years ago, and the number of Hindu devotees was much more than I had expected. (I must mention here, as well, that at the time when I visited Gurdwara Seesgang in Delhi, the number of Hindus coming in and going out after paying their obeisance was nearly thirty percent--it was morning time, probably, the Hindu retailers of Chandni Chowk were on their Daily Supplication routine. A couple of gentlemen paid their adulation in a typical Muslim way; first the hands flat on the chest, then prayed folding the hands in the shape of sun-flower, and after caressing the face with the palms, kneeled down to bow the head on ground in front of the Granth Sahib).

A number of Hindus had left Punjab villages and gone to settle in Hariana, U.P., Rajisthan and as far as Bihar. They found themselves to be treated there apathetically--Punjabi is a Punjabi whether he is Sikh or Hindu, he is treated scornfully by non-Punjabis. Almost all of them are coming back to the enthusiastic welcome of the Sikh inhabitants, both in the towns and villages. In certain villages more than half the retail stores are run by the members of Hindu community. Not even one shop was observed shut or damaged. The shopping centres both in the cities and towns are experiencing boom in business--Adalat Bazar in Patiala, Chaura Bazar in Ludhiana, Rainak Bazar in Jalandhar, all are swamped with shoppers--Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims alike. Before leaving Canada in November 1992 I had envisaged that I won't be able to go to Amritsar. But contrary to my perception I found Amritsar and surrounding towns and villages brimming with most congenial atmosphere.

It is nearly ten thirty in the evening. We decide to rush to have dinner in Kesar Da Dhaba. It is in the locality of Chowk Basian. Ninety-nine percent of the people living in that part of the city are Hindus. We find people sitting in the streets and chowks. They are most cheerfully involved in gossips and jokes. Whole atmosphere is very jovial and full of giggles. Not the least amount of anxiety and duress is depicted. Three of my companions coming out of the car are turbaned Sikhs but that does not distract them and no skeptical eyes are raised. We are just in time to enter the Kessar's Dhaba. More than half the families, enjoying the vegetarian food in most cordial manner, are turbaned Sikhs. Half-past eleven we find a number of people still chattering in the streets.

"Sunau jee khaana changa laga?" one of them asks when we reach our car. Before I can tell that the food was stupendous and most delicious, he adds, "Are you from Chandigarh?"

"No I am from Toronto, Canada," I say and that ensues a lively talk. Before we leave, I cannot help asking, "I had heard that Amritsar was a ghost-city these days. People went indoors and locked themselves in at about seven in the evening. And here it is nearly twelve midnight and you are still enjoying outdoor fearlessly."

"Baoo Jee," one of them addresses me, "in this area there has never been such a situation, and now peace is prevailing everywhere any way. It is the miracle of Beant Singh and Gill. Not only Amritsar it is same all over Punjab. Here is my brother. He has just come back from Tarn Taran by his car." and he looked at his watch. Another gentleman adds, "Just a few months ago Tarn Taran area was entirely in the grip of militants, and to go out on that road after dusk was suicidal."

Now the bazars in Amritsar--Hall Bazaar, Katra Jaimal Singh, etc., are teeming with shoppers of all shades. Even the shopping centers in Tarn Taran, Goindwal Sahib, Khadoor Sahib (the hub of militant's activities), and other wayside villages are abounding with people, and there is no dearth of equally contended Hindu gentry. The Police and Para-military petrol are very scant. Except on main road-junctions, uniformed personnel are not visible frequently. No doubt peace is prevailing.

Mr.Beant Singh and his adversaries are claiming full credit for the establishment of this normalcy. Is it really the result of Punjab Government's effective policy and the consequence of Mr.Gill's ruthless and penetrating action or is it the spontaneous repercussion of the masses? There are certain factors that cannot be discounted to judge the real situation.

The first one, as mentioned above, was the infiltration of the Militant Movement by the questionable element. The people became fed up with indiscriminate killings and lootings. Even the killings of the innocent lives of the families of the Police servicemen had detrimental effect. People had become weary of the remorseful policies of `insidious' militants.

The second factor was the personal resentment of the people against the strict commands of the Militants. Their directives disrupted villagers everyday social set up and gregarious life. People were ordered to adhere to the strict code of dress, and restrictions were imposed on the celebrations of births, marriage ceremonies, etc. Public regarded those as the infringement of their basic human rights. People were aspiring for an emancipation.

And in the third place, to some extant, Mr.Gill's policy of coercing cast-down unemployed Jat Sikh youth into Police folds is making a considerate impact. Mr. Gill boasted in a domestic party in Delhi, "What is happening here in Punjab is purely between Jat Sikhs (militants) and Jat Sikhs (Punjab Police)." He is fully exploiting this theory of `only a Jat can combat a Jat.' Pitting Jat Sikhs against Jat Sikhs, he is taking full advantage of this distinct Jat characterization (Ref:India Today).

All that mentioned above is resulting in overwhelming cooperation on the part of common folk to reveal the hide-outs of Militants to the Police. During the days of supremacy of Militants, even with most ardent efforts, the Police, C.I.D., and C.B.I. could not get the wind of Militants' operational headquarters, and the whereabouts of the individuals. The Police informers were brushed aside by the masses. Dismayed with the misdeeds of the infiltrated militants, villagers are now, candidly, endowing full cooperation to the security forces. The farmers are providing their own tractors to convert them into bullet-proof armoured vehicles--Mr.Gill's most exulted innovation. Discontented public is coming forward voluntarily to beset the militants. Consequently Police is getting upper-hand by staging, false or true, encounters to annihilate the Militants. Without the help of the people as a whole Police still could have not been able to locate novice Militants let alone the hard-core ones.

Bad element, physical or mental, has always been the biggest cause of fall of most successful campaigns. So long as Banda Bahadur's intentions remained honest, and he adhered to the dictates of Shri Guru Gobind Singh, his progress was colossal. But as soon his mind was maligned with greed and selfish intentions his down-fall became imminent. Immediately after the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the animosity, enviousness and debauchery slid to the minds of his inheritors, and that engendered the down-fall of Sikh Raj.

The corruption that crawled into the ranks of the militants has shattered their high hopes--in a press release issued on behalf of Dal Khalsa International on May 4,1993, Bhai Gurpiar Singh admitted that there have been mistakes on part of certain militants. The Sikh prestige has had a big reversal. Hindu Fundamentalists are making fun of lapses suffered by militants. An individual Sikh entrapped in a Hindu dominant group is often made laughing stock, and ridiculed.

On top of all that, the ever transpiring bickering among the various Akali factions is not aiding the recovery of Sikh dignity. It is further dispiriting Sikh moral. There is common consensus among Sikh intelligentsia that the Sikhs can regain vanquished glory only if all the Akali factions join under one banner and move ahead with one programme. The majority of the Punjabis, Hindus and Sikhs alike, are in favour of the implementation of Rajive-Longowal Accord, in its entirety. Even the hard core politicians seem to be ready to accept this--probably to use the Agreement as a stepping stone to restart their struggle.

But the attitude adopted by Mr.Beant Singh is lamentable. Without prejudice I must narrate here an anecdote that I heard while travelling from New Delhi to Amritsar in the Superfast Train. It is based on a very common Punjabi folk story. A Bania had a Jat nabbed on the ground. While beating the Jat incessantly, the Bania was crying very loudly. A passerby asked, "You are apprehending the man, beating him continually, then why are you crying?" The Bania replied, "You don't know he is a Jat. As soon as he comes up he will kill me." Probably Punjab Chief Minister, is engulfed in same type of predicament. People are laughing at his `frivolous and retrogressive' suggestions: he wants `to put cart before the horse' by reviving the long dead issue of Maha Punjab, he is talking about Police inquiries `to settle his personal scores with the Akali leaders', he is using `contemptuous remarks against some of the most revered and respected citizens', he is `refuting the provisions of the Anandpur Sahib resolution', and above all, `he wants to scrap the legislation' that brought S.G.P.C. into existence after untold sacrifices. He is `screaming' to secure his own future.

In the mid-eighteenth century, Mir Manoo, the ruthless Governor of Punjab, became very happy speculating that he had finished the Sikhs root and branch. After two ghalugharas the Afghan Kings were satisfied that they had eliminated the Sikh once for all, and there could never be any insurgency from that end. But all this, however could not depress the Sikhs. It only added to their determination and fury. Within three months... they were again up in arms against... the tyrannical rule of Afghans. Within a short while, various Sikh Missals came into existence, and culminated in the Sikh Raj (Ref:The Sikhs by Dr.Ganda Singh)

Deliberating on the contemporary situation in Punjab in its right historical perspective, Mr.Beant Singh, Chief Minister of Punjab and Mr.Narasimha Rao, Prime Minister of India would be well advised to take this opportunity of playing on the wave of sympathy running through the Punjabi masses in their favour. The time is right for them to honour the words given by their own Chief, the Late Mr.Rajive Gandhi, i.e., the implementation of Rajive-Longowal Agreement as a whole. But contrary to that Mr.Beant Singh is adamant on a diverse hypothesis. The genie is almost contained in the vessel. Instead of alluring the genie to go in further, and put a lid on top to contain it for ever, Mr.Beant Singh is denying the existence of the genie itself; in a recent statement he maintained that Punajab had no political problem. In his opinion it was merely break-down of law and order situation. He should come out with a positive agenda rather than acting as a policeman, if he, wants, sincerely, to save Punjab.