Forgotten - Sikh Women Left Behind in Pakistan after 1947.

A true story from archives about the Sikh women forgotten in Pakistan in the rush to escape in 1947 and the story of Akali Chakar Kaur Singh who 4 years later in 1951 went on a mission to save them.

Once the Khalsa used to be the saviour of other communities. When the Afghan raiders kidnapped Hindu women and were selling them in Afghan markets, the Khalsa army took the responsibility of recovering these helpless souls and returning them to their families. The perpetrators were also punished. In one case, in 1774, a powerful leader in Jalalabad kidnapped and mistreated a Hindu girl. The Khalsa found out and not only sacked the entire town but tied the perpetrator to a manja and burned him alive. Sikhs were heroes who saved the honour of the powerless.

But the Sikhs soon forgot about rehit and their proud traditions. The result is before us today. In the 20th Century, Sikhs left behind their women and children and fled to save their lives. Below is the story of the Sikhs during Partition in 1947 (taken from Sikhaa(n) Dey Pakistan Vicho(n) NiklaN dee Gatha by Dr. Kirpaal Singh): When Punjab was partitioned, millions of Sikhs found themselves on the wrong side of the border. Punjab's most fertile lands, hundreds of sacred Gurdvaras like Sree NankaNa Sahib, Sree Punjaa Saahib, etc. were all lost. The Muslim population had started the large-scale slaughter of Sikhs in West Punjab and the Sikhs were forced to flee. Tens of thousands of Sikh women and children were kidnapped by the marauders and taken as slaves.

When will we start taking care of our own again? When will the Sikhs remember their role as saviours of the helpless and save their own children, let alone saving those from other communities?

The reality is that thousands of women and children remained in Pakistan and the Sikhs were unable to ever get them back.

Sri Harmandir Sahib

Our story, however, begins with Akaalee Chakr Kaur Singh jee.

1951 Rescue Mission Akali jee, alone, decided something must be done to recover the Sikh women and children who had been abandoned. He himself arranged to go to Pakistan for this task. He arrived in Lahore on April 3 1951. For four years now, those abandoned Sikhs had been living like slaves in various villages in Pakistan and in the Amore Camp. Many Pakistanis were hostile to Akali jee and had not seen a Sikh for years. Akali jee travelled with the help of some Pakistani police officers, with a shawl wrapped around his head so that he would have less trouble from those hostile to Sikhs. For his travels, he purchased nuts and ghee and other materials so that if he couldn't make parshada, he could at least have this.

Partion 1947 At The Camp When Akali jee arrived near the camp, they authorities refused to let him see the captive women and children. He returned to Pakistani Punjab with a heavy heart and managed to recover a few young Sikh boys and girls. Before he was to return to East Punjab with the few children he had found, he requested to be taken to the banks of the Jehlum river. He writes "Tears began to flow from my eyes by themselves and I saw many skeletons lying by the banks of the river that had kaRas on their hands. I had thought before that my brothers bodies must have washed ashore here and before me was the proof. What doubt could remain? I took the KaRas from two skeletons and kissed them and kept them with me. My own state was very bad. I was soaked in sweat and had to sit. I drank two sips of the water but my heart told me to stop…this was the blood of 33 000 shaheeds…soon Khan jee [Akali jee's guide and companion] came to me and put his hand on my shoulder, saying "don't feel so much sorrow. This is what pleased God. I will tell you the truth, for five days we could not see the water of the Jehlum. Like logs floating down a river, from one end to the other Jehlum was filled with Sikh bodies and for five days the water flowed red with Sikh blood…" Letter from The Forgotten Sisters Akali jee returned to East Punjab. The Amore Camp captives had found out about his visit and began to send him letters. Some excerpts are below from these: "we are unfortunate that we too did not die, because of which for the past four years we have been captive and death too is scared to come near us…We began to hear that Chakar Kaur Singh jee and Akali Kaur Singh jee and other Singhs from Kashmir as well as a lot of the Khalsa in Punjab was still alive. But we suspected it was all lies. If there really were Singhs left, they would have taken care of us. They used to even free the women from other communities…"

Another letter reads "For four years we have not been able to fill our stomachs with food and have been making clothes and turbans from left over sacks. We were the children of wealthy people, but now we are wasting away. Now, neither death kills us nor these enemies nor our hunger or nakedness…We cannot run, we cannot die, we cannot go into the villages; If we are to do something, what should we do?

We have heard that the Panth is the saviour of the poor and helpless, but four years have passed and neither our own nor any strangers have come to take care of us…For God and Guru's sake, please take us out from here. Or if not, then please pray that death may encourage our captors to kill us as well, or that some disease comes and we may all die here" The one who had originally convinced these Sikh women and children to sign the letter saying they would stay in the camp (by telling them all Sikhs were dead) was Pandit Shiv jee. He sold Sikh women from the camp and also kept two or three for himself. He was the officer of the camp and kept the women and children in perpetual distress. Release Eventually, Akali jee found a way to release these captives. The Commander of the Camp, Mohammed Sabar had been separated from his daughter Kulzam Akhtar, who was stranded with her sister in Srinagar. When Akali jee wrote to Sabar, he replied with the story of his daughter. Akali jee took the hint and managed to arrange for the return of the girl, despite diplomatic roadblocks and other hardships. Sabar was eternally grateful, and Kulzam had grown so fond of Akali jee, she referred to him as her second father. The captives were then released but taking care of them upon their return was again left only to Chakar Kaur Singh jee and Akali Kaur Singh jee Nihung.

The women were put by the government in a new camp in the deserts of Bikaner in Rajasthan. Although many were later settled and lived happy lives, others continued to live in terrible conditions. No political leader nor any Singh Sabha nor any Sant helped in this matter of freeing the young women and children or in taking care of them. Many officials in the Indian government in fact tried to prove that Akali jee was a Pakistani spy. Akali jee passed away in 1954, and till that time continued on as the father for all these helpless children. The reality is that thousands of women and children remained in Pakistan and the Sikhs were unable to ever get them back.

When will we start taking care of our own again? When will the Sikhs remember their role as saviours of the helpless and save their own children, let alone saving those from other communities? May Guru Saahib have mercy on his Panth.

Source: Gursikhi Jivan

http://gursikhijivan.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/left-behind-sikh-women-forgotten-in.html