1293S

intolerance and repression; the Sikh nationalism is among such nationalisms in the
world. 54
According to Prithipal Singh Kapur, Ranjit selected the people according to
their inherent nature and loyalty as the “cultured intelligence” for the governmental
affairs. For example, he selected Jats for the positions of generals or military services
because he knew that they could plough and fight only while he preferred Muslims,
Brahmins, Rajputs, Khatris in council. 55 This policy testifies that the concept of
‘martial races’ existed already in the Punjab before the British advent and it was
further canalized by the British through the administrative and defence policies.
Many have projected that Ranjit was a secular leader but his derogatory
attitude towards the Muslim sacred places does not prove this claim. To J. S. Pakkar,
the Muslims were the privileged class in the society during the Mughal rule but they
“had been reduced to the level of common subjects under the Sikh rule.” 56 The writers
also present the Persian as his official language as evidence of his liberal propensity
but actually it also does not testify the secular character of Ranjit Singh. If the Persian
language remained the official language during his period, it does not show Ranjit’s
devotion to the Persian literature or Iranian people rather he had no substitute to the
Persian language at the very moment. The Punjabi language had never served as a
‘social capital’ even in the Punjab. To Tariq Rehman, language enjoys the status of
social capital that has intimate relationship with political power and social influence.
“It is created by power and it has the potential to make others powerful.” It is widely
“used in so many domains of power.” 57 The Persian language had a status of ‘social
capital’ so everyone could make place in the government as well as the society by its
learning.
11