New Delhi:

A day after the Punjab Police launched a massive operation to arrest Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh asked the government to avoid creating an atmosphere of terror in the state. The Akal Takht is the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs, and the Jathedar is its appointed head.

“Punjab has already suffered enough and now is the time to move towards a better future,” he said in a statement.

He said that Punjab has received deep wounds in the past and no government has taken steps to heal them.

He said that there is a lot of resentment among the Sikh youth due to the discrimination done by the governments in the past. He said that some people are also brainwashing the youth and using them for their political gains.

Harpreet Singh said, ‘Learning from the mistakes, the long-standing religious, political and economic issues of the Sikhs should be simplified and the feeling of alienation among the Sikhs should be removed.’

The leader said that discrimination from time to time has played a role in creating a sense of alienation among the Sikhs who have made the most sacrifices for India’s freedom. He urged the present governments to learn from the mistakes made by their predecessors.

The religious leader’s statement comes at a time when the Center and the state are working together to arrest separatist leader Amritpal Singh.

Authorities have beefed up security at several places and suspended internet and SMS services across the state after his associates shared some videos on social media, claiming that policemen were chasing them.

The action comes a month after Amritpal Singh and his supporters barged into a police station carrying swords and guns to release one of their associates. Six police officers were injured in the clash.