Sikhism

The slogan "Death to Pakistan" (Pakistan Murdabad) was raised by Sikh leader Master Tara Singh in March 1947, soon after the Unionist Party cabinet of Malik Khizar Hayat Tiwana resigned in the Punjab, and immediately after it was announced that the Muslim League would take over the reins of provincial government.^[1][2][3] The resignation of the Khizar Tiwana government, composed of Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs, followed the unrest caused by the call for the Direct Action Day by the Muslim League the previous year.^[1][4]

According to historian Stanley Wolpert in A New History of India,^[2] when the administration of Punjab was taken over by Muslim League, "Master Tara Singh, prominent Sikh political and religious leader in the first half of the 20th century, called for direct action by his khalsa against the League at this time, igniting the powder keg of repressed violence that set the Punjab ablaze with his cry of "Pakistan Murdabad" ("Death to Pakistan"). Tara Singh and his followers were demanding a Sikh nation of their own, Khalistan, and by demonstrating their willingness to die in defence of their homeland, they sought to prove the validity of their claim."^[2] This slogan often was followed by religious fights and conflicts.^[5][6][7]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Vohra, Ranbir (2001), The Making of India: A Historical Survey, M.E. Sharpe, p. 177, ISBN 978-0-7656-0711-9
2. ^ ^{a b c} Wolpert, Stanley A. (2004), A new history of India, New York: Oxford University Press, p. 347, ISBN 978-0-19-516677-4
3. ^ Moon, Penderel (1962), Divide and Quit, University of California Press, p. 77, GGKEY:4N8AYYFTYFJ
4. ^ Singh, Anita Inder (2002), "The Origins of the Partition of India 1936–1947", in Mushrul Hasan (ed.), The Partition Omnibus, Delhi: Oxford University Press, p. 218, ISBN 978-0-19-565850-7 Quote: The attitude of the provincial Congress and Sikh leaders was provocative and hysterical. But it was explicable because the League's attitude during its agitation against the Khizar coalition was one of arrogance towards the minorities and it had never given them any indication of what Pakistan meant or what it might offer them in return for support. The League, as Jenkins pointed out, had also set a foreboding precedent by overthrowing a popular ministry by force, and, after the announcement of 20 February, had made every suggestion that it would capture the Punjab by any means. On 4 March Hindu and Sikh students took out a procession through the main part of Lahore shouting "Pakistan Murdabad", "Jinnah Murdabad" and according to Dawn "Allaho-Akbar Murdabad". Rioting broke out in Lahore and Multan, and Khizar resigned as caretaker Prime Minister, chiefly because his ministry could not control the situation.
5. ^ Rajendra Kumar Mishra (2012). Babri Mosque: A Clash of Civilizations. Dorrance Publishing. p. 103. ISBN 978-1434967428.
6. ^ Nagappan, Ramu (2005). Speaking havoc social suffering and South Asian narratives. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 91. ISBN 978-0295801711.
7. ^ Allen, Richard (2000). Literature & nation : Britain and India : 1800–1990 (1. publ. ed.). London: Routledge [u.a.] p. 355. ISBN 978-0415212076.