Daily Times

Operation Blue Star was an Indian military operation that occurred between June 3 and 8, 1984. Thirty-one years on, the event merits study because Pakistan, having been embroiled in anti-terrorist operations for over a decade, is currently executing Operation Zarb-e-Azb to flush out militants from North Waziristan. The circumstances are different but some lessons can be drawn to assist Pakistan in avoiding the bloodshed that followed.

In the 1980s, Bhindranwale, a Sikh political activist, demanded the acceptance of the Anandpur Sahib Resolution, calling for a return to what is considered to be the ‘pure’ roots of Sikhism. Advocating against the consumption of liquor, drugs and laxness in religious practices, such as the cutting of kesh (long hair) by Sikh youth, Bhindranwale was highly critical of the Indian Constitution’s Article 25, declaring minorities such as Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists as part of Hinduism. In August 1982, Bhindranwale and the Akali Dal (Sikhism-centric political party) launched the Dharam Yudh Morcha (battle for righteousness), with its stated aims being the fulfillment of a list of demands based on the Anandpur Sahib Resolution. Thousands of Sikhs joined the movement in the hopes of acquiring a larger share of irrigation water and the return of Chandigarh to Punjab.

Bhindranwale has often been portrayed as a supporter of Khalistan (a separate state for Sikhs) but some researchers opine that he neither opposed nor supported the formation of Khalistan. Renowned British journalist Mark Tully, in his book Amritsar: Mrs Gandhi’s Last Battle, quotes an interview in which Bhindranwale stated that “we like to live together, we like to live in India”. According to Tully, Bhindranwale did not object to the state’s hypothetical creation but he did consider Sikhs as “a distinct nation”.

In April 1980, Bhindranwale entrenched himself in Harmandir Sahib, the holiest of Sikh shrines in Amritsar, making it his headquarters and constantly lambasted Prime Minister (PM) Indira Gandhi for cracking down on the Dharam Yudh Morcha while his followers resorted to violence against officials trying to dislodge him. Deeming Bhindranwale a dangerous militant and separatist, in June 1984, Indira Gandhi ordered the attack on the Golden Temple to flush out Bhindranwale despite some senior Indian military officers advising against it for fear of a backlash. The attack coincided with the martyrdom anniversary of fifth Sikh guru, Arjan, when the complex was full with innocent pilgrims. Bhindranwale and his military adviser, the highly decorated hero of the 1965 and 1971 Pakistan-India wars, Major General Shabeg Singh, were killed in the operation after stiff resistance. Lieutenant General Kuldip Singh Brar led the action, operating under Lieutenant General Sundarji, then the vice chief of the army who later commanded the Indian army and launched the infamous Operation Brasstacks in 1986 in Rajasthan near the Pakistan border.

Operation Blue Star was based on faulty intelligence. It was purported that the militants were lightly armed, had limited supplies and could be mopped up in a few hours but the action lasted for five days with tanks and APCs being brought in to conclude the operation, which resulted in heavy casualties on both sides.

Since his death, Bhindranwale has remained a controversial figure in Indian history. While the Sikhs’ highest temporal authority, Akal Takht, describe him as a great martyr of the Sikh nation, who made supreme sacrifices for the sake of his faith, the Indian government views him as an extremist. The aftermath of the operation is even more ghastly. According to Sangat Singh’s Sikhs in History, page 383, at least 4,000 Sikh soldiers mutinied at different locations in India in protest, with some reports of large-scale pitched battles being fought to bring mutineers under control. The operation also led to the assassination of PM Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984 by two of her Sikh bodyguards, triggering the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The widespread killing of Sikhs, principally in New Delhi but also in other major cities in North India led to major divisions between the Sikh community and the Indian government. General Arun Shridhar Vaidya, the army chief at the time of Operation Blue Star, was assassinated in 1986 in Pune by two Sikhs.

India still bears the scars of Operation Blue Star, which took many decades to heal. Operation Zarb-e-Azb, on the other hand, is yet to reach its conclusion so it cannot be declared a success yet. The expected blowback from the crackdown on the training camps and safe havens of the miscreants did not hit Pakistan with full force but heinous attacks like the Army Public School assault of December 16, 2014 and numerous other smaller attacks indicate that the miscreants have penetrated the population. Their sleeper cells await targets of opportunity. The miscreants wreaking havoc in Pakistan are faceless and mingle with the common folk, necessitating not only concentrated intelligence efforts but also the participation of the community in identifying them. May Allah help Pakistan.

The writer is a former group captain of PAF, who also served as air and naval attaché at Riyadh. Currently, he is a columnist, analyst and a television show host