The Tribune dated 18th October 2023

Comments by Simranjit Singh Mann: Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) states that because of the religious reservations of THIS (Theocratic Hindu Indian State) are not opening the Wagha and Hussainiwala borders of Punjab with Islamic Pakistan because of centuries old animosity of the Hindu and Musalman.

The Sikhs want opening of these borders with Islamic Pakistan so that trade and commerce commences with the Islamic states of the West, the Central Asia Republics, Russia and Communist China.

Our party does not understand that if Communist China has usurped thousands of kilometres of territory in Ladakh why the Hindutva-Bania state carries on trade with that country whereas the Islamic countries have not occupied any Hindu Indian territory.

As far as Kashmir is concerned, it was annexed by the Lahore Darbar (Sikh Empire 1799-1849) in 1819 when it was a province of Afghanistan and the Lahore Darbar annexed Ladakh in 1834.

The question is why the Hindu Indian state which came into being in 1947 could not keep these two territories of the Lahore Darbar in one piece? This is a dilemma that irritates the Sikh mind.

Simranjit Singh Mānn,
President,
Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar),
Email: simranjitsinghmann@yahoo.com
website: https://akalidalamritsar.in/
facebook page: @sardarsimranjitsinghmann