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Abstract Pakistan scheme of the All-India Muslim League caused a severe crisis in the Punjab politics. Not only the non-Muslims and Muslim nationalists but also the ruling forces including the British and Unionists were affected by this drive. The anti-League protagonists tried to diffuse the momentum of this move by joining hands in the Punjab Legislative Assembly. Sir Sikandar Hayat, a Khattar from Wah and SardarBaldev Singh, a Jatt from Rohtak emerged as prominent politicians in the British Punjab who, under the patronage of the British, played significant role in the political goings-on. Baldev was Sikandar's cabinet fellow and being a representative of Sikh community, he enjoyed a unique position in the Punjab politics. With this equal status both the leaders signed the Sikandar-Baldev Singh Pact in 1942. It was not a pact between the two communities rather it was a deal between a community and the government; the government signed the pact with a party but benefitted from the community as a whole.
Penderel Moon points out the distrust between the Akalis and Unionists but in spite of this both the rivals concluded this pact. Why? JaspreetWalia opines that after this pact, Master Tara Singh brought the Akalis to the top of the Sikh politics while, on the other hand, Master Tara Singh in his book disowns Baldev Singh as the Akali member. IftikharHaider Malik wrote political biography of Sir Sikandar Hayat but hardly touched the Sikandar-Baldev Singh Pact as he mainly focused on Sir Sikandar and the Muslim politics. Ajit Singh Sarhadi determines this pact as a beginning of an independent course by the Akali Dal. This article explores different dimensions and interpretations of the pact particularly as to how the otherwise rival parties came closer and as to how they benefited from it.
Background Despite Punjab's overwhelmingly rural character in the colonial era, many scholars have concentrated on the region's urban politics. This reflects the intense communal rivalries in such cities as Lahore and Amritsar. Retrospectively, a negligible percentage of the population resided in the urban Punjab but it enjoyed absolute political power because 'effective' politics was confined to the towns only. The human and economic resources mainly came from the rural areas but the decision-making authority remained in the hands of...