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Khaled Ahmed on Sikhs


Guest Punjabi Nationalist

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Guest Punjabi Nationalist

Over the past couple of weeks a writer for Pakistan Punjab based English newspaper (Daily Times) has been writing on social make-up of Punjabis and has been looking at Rajputs and Jats mainly.

I have already come across some errors in his editorials such as using the word "tribe" as it relates to Jats and Rajputs (Which are castes and not tribes) and by calling Master Tara Singh a "Jat" when he was infact a Khatri. He has also assumed that Sikhs are made-up largely of Jats and Rajputs (This may be true of Punjabis in general but not Sikhs) ignoring other castes like Khatris, Aroras, Charmas etc

Not that any of this "caste" stuff is important to Sikhs, but inaccuracies are innaccurcies and they should be addressed.

Onto the real issue, i came across this remark from his latest editorial:

Coming back to the Jats, one has to consider the derivation from jatta meaning hair. In Urdu and Punjabi jatta is a common word for hair. It is more often than not associated with long hair, especially the long hair of the ascetic.

It is quite possible that long hair was kept by the Jats. They must have been farmers who kept close to nature and did not cut their hair. By not cutting their hair the Sikhs may have actually gone back to the Jat tradition!

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?p..._4-4-2004_pg3_5

All senior and elder Sikh members here please address this. I dont think it does anyone any favors when comments like this are published on a widely read newspaper. I have emailed Khaled Ahmed once already regarding a couple of errors on a previous editorial but no reply. This latest remark however should be addressed thoroughly.

Here are his previous two write-ups:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?p...28-3-2004_pg3_6 - A proliferation of Bhattis

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?p...21-3-2004_pg3_7 - Is ‘Malik’ always a ‘Rajput’?

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