Military Lit Fest: ‘Govt lacked political will to resolve Khalistan issue’
Panellists discussing The Khalistan Conspiracy by former RAW officer GBS Sidhu say key government discussions should be politically discussed
The rise of militancy in Punjab and its tragic fallout in the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi and the anti-Sikh riots have important lessons. All critical decisions of governments should be addressed politically and not by force, said panellists discussing the book, The Khalistan Conspiracy by former RAW officer GBS Sidhu at the concluding day of the Military Literature Festival on Sunday.
In a session moderated by GS Aujla, former Indian Police Service officer, Sidhu spoke to panellists MPS Aulakh, former director general of police and Jagtar Singh, journalist.
Sidhu, who played a key role in the inclusion of Sikkim into the Indian Territory, recalled the rise of militancy in Punjab and abroad, especially in Canada and other European countries, where Sikhs migrated during the 1970s.
He also touched upon the efforts of the then Union government to resolve the problem.
To this, Aujla said , the ‘issue’ had not been addressed at the political level at that time and was a great lesson in how political will was lacking in that period to sort out matters.
Aulakh, who had held prominent positions in the Intelligence Bureau at that time illustrated a series of events of that period.
Speaking on the occasion, Jagtar Singh said the Indian government should have released papers related to that period for a clearer picture.