Their unique and centuries-long identification with Punjab and the Punjabi language made the 1947 tragedy extraordinarily tough for the Sikhs. Yet, their leaders cannot escape a due share of responsibility. Their failure lay not in picking more than one foe, or in inconsistency, but in a lack of realism. To recall Ranjit Singh’s Punjab with pride was one thing. But to suggest, a century after the Sikh kingdom’s demise, that a fighting spirit could restore Sikh rule over areas where Muslims were a majority was neither reasonable nor prudent. Following on the 20 February announcement from
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