1293S

INTRODUCTION
MUSLIM-SIKH RELATIONS IN RETROSPECT
It is hard luck of the Punjab that it remained under the foreign rule for
centuries which resulted in a sense of psychological, intellectual, political, economic
and social deprivation in the region. The colonialism is mainly attributed to the British
but historically it goes back to the Persian and Central Asian imperialism. Andrew J.
Major writes that twelve non-Punjabi dynasties ruled over the Punjab from 11 th
century to the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1799-1839). 1 Islam secured huge
conversions from Hindus and Sikhs which made Islam a dominant religion in the
north-west region of the Subcontinent along with the non-Indian Muslims from
Arabia, Iran and Afghanistan. On the ground of the Muslim majority of this region, a
separate homeland was demanded later in the mid-twentieth century. The Punjab was
the province which was to provide the most forceful support to this demand otherwise
the dream of Pakistan could never be materialized. On the other hand, the Punjab was
everything to the Sikhs. It was a birthplace of their Gurus 2 and religiously historical
place where their religious heroes lived, smiled, passed through ordeal, ruled and had
smadhs. 3 The roots of the Muslim-Sikh antagonism were the assassination of the
Gurus, further atrocities by Banda Singh Bahadur Bairagi and Mir Mannu, and the
Muslim invasions by Nadir Shah, Ahmad Shah Abdali, his son Timur Shah and
grandson Shah Zaman in which the Muslim support was unleashed in favour of the
Muslim invaders. 4