Author: Behroz Khan
Publication: Outlook
Date: May 4, 2009
URL: http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20090504&fname=Pakistan+Sikhs&sid=1
Introduction: Held to a huge ransom by the
Taliban, NWFP's Sikhs have nowhere to go
Decades before the cartographer sliced the
subcontinent into Pakistan and India, ancestors of Kalyan Singh demonstrated
the wanderlust typical of the Sikh community. They settled down in the green,
picturesque Ferozkhel valley of Orakzai, one of the seven autonomous agencies
which together comprise what is now called the Federally Administered Tribal
Area (FATA). In his own 45 years of life, Kalyan had never experienced religious
discrimination. He ran his business, lived a contented life with his family.
And, despite the intolerance now sweeping across a swathe of FATA, Kalyan
Singh would have told you, had you ever asked him, that the sturdy Pashtuns
are hospitable, caring and kind-hearted.
Kalyan Singh's feelings are now memories,
his bucolic life in complete disarray. Much of Orakzai began to change when,
early in 2008, Tehrik-e-Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud's men swept in here
from South Waziristan through the neighbouring North Waziristan, inaugurating
a reign of terror. Soon, Hakimullah Mehsud, Baitullah's deputy, established
an 'Islamic emirate' here, evoking horrific images of religious intolerance
that scared a few Sikh families into migrating to Peshawar.
Kalyan Singh refused to shift out from what
he saw as his ancestral home, believing he was safe living among the Orakzai
tribals. But then, a fortnight ago, Hakimullah descended on the Ferozkhel
valley and ordered members of the Sikh community, including women, to gather
in an open area. They were told they were now in the custody of Taliban, and
that they must pay jazia (a religious tax imposed on non-Muslims living under
Islamic rule in the medieval times) or convert to Islam.
The soldiers of the Islamic emirate then picked
up Kalyan Singh, tortured him in custody for 10 long days even as negotiations
for the amount to be paid as jazia kept apace. Herjeet Singh, a local Sikh,
quotes an eyewitness to say, "The militants convened a shura of their
own and passed the verdict that Sikhs should pay Rs 100 million as jazia.
Our elders pleaded that poor members of the community have no means to raise
such a huge amount." Herjeet is among those who sneaked out of Orakzai
before jazia was imposed.
The Sikh community's plea prompted further
talks, with the Taliban scaling down their initial demand to Rs 40 million,
ultimately agreeing to Rs 12 million as the jazia, a source told Outlook.
Kalyan Singh was then set free and asked to raise the demanded amount. His
and 50 other families were held hostage. They were warned that any attempts
to escape would lead to the slaying of men and conversion of children and
womenfolk to Islam. "This is unheard of. Our forefathers lived among
the Pashtuns for centuries and were never subjected to such humiliation and
barbarism," laments Herjeet Singh.
Kalyan, these days, is in Peshawar, persuading
the Sikh community here to somehow raise the whopping amount. Sources say
he has managed to collect Rs 3.5 million. Only when Rs 12 million is paid
fully will the Sikhs in Ferozkhel be set free, provided protection and allowed
to practise their religion.
It's an onerous task for the Sikhs to raise
the ransom, more so because the Sikhs constitute a minuscule percentage of
NWFP, approximating just 10,000. Mainly concentrated in Peshawar, some of
them migrated from Afghanistan during the reign of mujahideen and Taliban.
They are mostly cloth merchants, or trade in cosmetics; a few are medical
professionals. The Sikhs of the Tirah Valley in Khyber agency and parts of
Orakzai are also engaged, as are local Afridi and Orakzai tribesmen, in the
sale and purchase of hashish, a tribal custom many centuries old. Those living
in FATA are as tribal as Pashtuns are, speaking the language with the same
thick accent and eagerly participating in communal ceremonies such as marriages
and funerals.
The imposition of jazia marks a disruption
of this tradition of harmony. The Orakzai tribals have, understandably, remained
silent, fearing reprisal from the Pakistan Taliban, who are drawn mainly from
the Mehsud tribe. An Orakzai jirga, for instance, was bombed by Mehsud's men
last year, killing 160 elders and injuring another 200. The jirga had been
summoned to raise a tribal armed force to evict the militants. The attack
demoralised them, enabling Mehsud's men to establish their sway. Those who
oppose the Taliban version of Islam are labelled as infidels and killed in
cold blood. "We are told our prayers will not be answered because Allah
will not entertain non-believers," said Soranjeet Singh, who recalled
the conversation he had with a militant in Orakzai a few weeks ago. "We
have not seen such people. They are neither Muslim nor Pashtun."
However, religious scholars and tribal elders
in other areas have condemned the imposition of jazia. "No one has the
right to create a state within the state and collect ransom in the guise of
religion. Jazia can only be collected when there is a proper Islamic welfare
state based on solid foundations," remarks Abdul Latif Afridi, a tribal
elder from Khyber agency and president of the Peshawar High Court Bar. He
says the jazia incident will not only give a bad name to the Pashtuns, but
provoke a worldwide reaction. "Pakistan is already in the midst of so
many troubles because of terrorism; the discrimination against the minorities
will prove fatal," he said.
Sources also revealed that some Sikh families
living in Ferozkhel have shifted to the Shia neighbourhood of Kalaya in Orakzai.
The Shias are opposed to the Taliban, and at least in Kurram agency the two
have been engaged in a protracted conflict for years now. But the option of
shifting to Kurram, once jazia is paid, is unlikely to be exercised because
all roads leading to the agency headquarters, Parachinar, have remained closed
for the past two years, cutting off the Shias from the rest of the country.
Ultimately, the drama unfolding in Orakzai
isn't just about the Sikhs. It's also about tribal customs. As Afridi says,
"Our elders gave protection to all minorities who were counted among
the recognised clans of our tribes, but it's such a pity that we can now neither
protect nor rescue the Sikhs." His lament doesn't seem adequate to goad
Islamabad into action.
