Go to Pakistan, SAD MP advises Amritpal Singh

Lok Sabha MP and head of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Simranjit Singh has advised fugitive Sikh leader, Amritpal Singh to flee India and leave for Pakistan.

"He should not surrender, he should cross the Ravi river and go to Pakistan," Singh told a local news channel in an interview.

He went on to remind how many had gone to Pakistan in 1984.

"We went to Pakistan in 1984 as well, did we not?" he added. He justified his statements by saying that if Amritpal Singh flees India it justifies Sikh history. His life is in danger and the government is oppressing us, he added.

The remarks were in reference to the 1984 events which eventually led to the anti-Sikh riots. In a bid to eliminate terrorist, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and other pro-Khalistan elements, the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi had ordered, 'Operation Bluestar.' Her Sikh bodyguards later assassinated her and this led to the Sikh riots of 1984.

Lieutenant General K S Brar who headed the operation at that time had said that there was a good chance that Pakistan would have aided the Khalistani elements and recognised a new country had it been announced.

The comments come at a time when reports suggest that Amritpal Singh could give himself up before the Akal Takht at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. In a recent video Singh has called for a large Sikh congregation to discuss the problems of the community. He said that the meeting should be held on Baisakhi which falls on April 14. The video is said to be recorded in Uttar Pradesh and uploaded from the United Kingdom.

Since the Punjab Police launched a massive man-hunt for Singh, he had managed to remain elusive. The last he is heard to have entered Punjab, but the police is yet to nab him. He is said to be 10 to 12 kilometres away from Amritsar. He will attempt to enter Amritsar and then perform prayers at the Golden Temple.He has however made it clear that the question of his surrender does not arise.

The police meanwhile have told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that it is doing all it can to nab Singh. The High Court however had on an earlier date reprimanded the administration while questioning its inability to nab one man, despite having a strong force of 80,000.