Amritsar, Aug 21: Punjab based Dal Khalsa on Saturday described unclaimed threatening letters to Valley Sikhs as a move to pit Sikhs against Muslims. It asked the members of the Sikh community not to fall into the trap of “state sponsored actors.”
“I spoke to Geelani Sahib and inquired about his health as he is not keeping well. I apprised him of the fear psychosis prevailing within the JK Sikhs after some mischievous elements have pasted threatening letters asking Sikhs either to embrace Islam and join protests or leave the Valley,” the spokesman of the Dal Khalsa Kanwar Pal Singh said in a statement.
He said that Geelani Sahib has sent a written assurance saying Sikhs should not feel threatened and to remain cautious against “the evil designs of some vested interests who were trying to harm on-going struggle by giving it different colour.”
Singh urged the Kashmiri leadership to find out those hidden elements that were playing the “larger game of the Indian state” to defame their struggle.
He (Geelani Sahib) has re-assured the Sikhs that nobody would force them to leave the Valley or join protests, said Kanwar Pal Singh, who also had a telephonic conversation with Srinagar based All JK Sikh Co-ordination Committee leader Jagmohan Singh Raina.
I told Raina that “the message from Punjab to the Sikhs of JK is, do not give up hope. It is difficult time, but Sikh Panth is with them.”
“Under a deep rooted conspiracy certain vested interests are hell bent to pit Sikhs against Muslims. Ironically, the Indian media was helping them in fulfilling their design,” he added.
Welcoming the statements of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Geelani Sahib pledging for full protection to minorities, Dal Khalsa leader said nobody can deny the fact that Muslims being the majority community in the Valley must protect the minorities in all circumstances.
He urged Sikhs to maintain cordial relations with Kashmiri Muslims and Hindu Pandits. “Sikhs should also lend helping hand to their Kashmiri rethren in their hour of crisis.”

SIKHS APPEAL CIVIL SOCIETY
GKNN Adds From Jammu: Even as the Union Government has assured foolproof security arrangements for Sikh community in Valley, different Sikh organisations in Jammu on Saturday made a fervent appeal to the civil society in Kashmir and Hurriyat leadership to ensure safety of minority community living in the Valley.
These groups, while reacting to reports about anonymous letters in the Valley allegedly asking Sikhs to either embrace Islam and join protests or leave Kashmir, warned the “enemies of peace” to desist from their evil designs of vitiating  age-old  traditions of  communal harmony and mutual brotherhood  in the state.
They urged the Central government to conduct a probe into the incident so that “anti-social” elements are exposed.
Sikhs living in different parts of the Valley have been allegedly receiving threat letters in Gurdwaras and houses, creating panic and insecurity among the community.
“It is worrisome incident as some forces are out to vitiate the communal harmony in Kashmir. It seems to be a handy work of some agencies who are bent upon to give a bad name to centuries old Kashmiriyat,” said Sudershan Singh Wazir, president Sikh United Front.
He said, “Such acts have created an atmosphere of insecurity for Sikhs. The government should take immediate measures to restore the confidence among the community members.”
He also assured full support to Kashmiri Sikhs Coordination Committee and asked them to form area-wise coordination committees with the majority community in order to defeat the designs of few “anti-social elements.”
Narbir Singh, president J&K State Youth Akali Dal threatened “communal forces” outside Kashmir who are, he alleged, are trying to fish in the troubled waters by issuing such statements which are a threat to the secular character of the constitution.
Showing concern about the Sikh minorities in Kashmir, Avtar Singh Khalsa called upon “intelligentsia and progressive forces” in Kashmir to come forward and expose all such elements which are bent upon tarnishing the image of ‘Kashmiryat’ by issuing threats to minority community in the Valley.
Sikh Students Federation, Amritsar has also expressed serious concern over recent reports about alleged “unnecessary harassment” of minority Sikhs by certain “anti-Kashmir” elements and asked the majority community in Kashmir and leadership to check such “doubtful elements.”  The Federation has condemned the killing of “peaceful” protestors in Kashmir and demanded immediate release of political prisoners.
A senior Akali Dal leader, Surinder Singh said, “It is a serious issue and its responsibility of the government to protect the rights of minority community in Kashmir Valley. It is also the responsibility of civil society members and Hurriyat leaders to ensure the safety of miniscule Sikh community in Kashmir.”

GOVT GIVING COMMUNAL TWIST TO SITUATION: JKNPP
GKNN From Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) on Saturday accused the state government of trying to give a communal twist to the crisis in the Valley by propagating that members of the Sikh community were being threatened.
“I appeal to people, particularly the youth, to beware of National Conference (NC) and Congress alliance leaders who have been trying to divert the attention from the state government’s failure to tackle the situation by giving it a communal twist,” the JKNPP chief Bhim Singh said in a statement.
Singh praised the minorities, particularly the Sikh community, for strengthening the secular values in the state, especially in the valley.
 Without naming anyone he said that a few individuals and busy bodies were running a parallel administration in the Valley. “It is a fit case for the Governor to intervene under Section 92 of the state’s constitution and take over the responsibilities of the government for some time,” he added.
Singh said even the autonomy issue raised by NC leaders was an attempt to sideline the real issue.
“There are no takers of autonomy or self-rule in the entire state. The resolution of the issue lies in the reorganization of the state on the basis of cultural, linguistic, geographical identities of each region, Ladakh, Kashmir and Jammu”, he said.

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