Khalistan movement

The proposed flag of Khalistan is often used as a symbol of the Khalistan movement.[1]

The Khalistan movement is a separatist movement seeking to create a homeland for Sikhs by establishing an ethno‐religious sovereign state called Khalistan (lit. 'land of the Khalsa') in the Punjab region.[2] The proposed boundaries of Khalistan vary between different groups; some suggest the entirety of the Sikh-majority Indian state of Punjab, while larger claims include Pakistani Punjab and other parts of North India such as Chandigarh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh.[3] Shimla and Lahore have been proposed as the capital of Khalistan.[4][5]

The call for a separate Sikh state began during the 1930s, when British rule in India was nearing its end.[6] In 1940, the first explicit call for Khalistan was made in a pamphlet titled "Khalistan".[7][8] With financial and political support from the Sikh diaspora, the movement flourished in the Indian state of Punjab – which has a Sikh-majority population – continuing through the 1970s and 1980s, and reaching its zenith in the late 1980s. The Sikh separatist leader Jagjit Singh Chohan said that during his talks with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the latter affirmed his support for the Khalistan movement in retaliation for the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, which resulted in the secession of Bangladesh from Pakistan.[9]

The separatist insurgency in Punjab started in the early 1980s.[10][11] Several Khalistani groups were involved in the armed insurgency, including Babbar Khalsa and Khalistan Commando Force, among others.[12] In 1986, Khalistan Commando Force took responsibility for the assassination of General Arun Vaidya, in retaliation for 1984's Operation Blue Star.[13][14] By the mid-1990s, the insurgency petered out, with the last major incident being the assassination of Chief Minister Beant Singh, who was killed in a bomb blast by a member of Babbar Khalsa.[15] The movement failed to reach its objective for multiple reasons, including violent police crackdowns on separatists, factional infighting, and disillusionment from the Sikh population.[10][16]

There is some support within India and the Sikh diaspora, with yearly demonstrations in protest of those killed during Operation Blue Star.[17][18][19] In early 2018, some militant groups were arrested by police in Punjab, India.[10] Former Chief Minister of Punjab Amarinder Singh claimed that the recent extremism is backed by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and "Khalistani sympathisers" in Canada, Italy, and the UK.[20] Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) is currently the only pro-Khalistan party recognised by the Election Commission of India. As of 2024, two seats in the Indian Parliament are held by Amritpal Singh, an incarcerated pro-Khalistan activist, and Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, who is the son of the assassin of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.[21][22]

  1. ^ Shah, Murtaza Ali (27 January 2022). "Khalistan flag installed on Gandhi Statue in Washington". Geo News. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  2. ^ Kinnvall, Catarina (24 January 2007). "Situating Sikh and Hindu Nationalism in India". Globalization and Religious Nationalism in India: The Search for Ontological Security. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-13-413570-7. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  3. ^ Crenshaw, Martha, 1995, Terrorism in Context, Pennsylvania State University, ISBN 978-0-271-01015-1 p. 364
  4. ^ Canton, Naomi (10 June 2022). "Banned SFJ leader unveils 'Khalistan map', with Shimla as 'capital', before Pak press in Lahore". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  5. ^ Mehtab Ali Shah, The Foreign Policy of Pakistan 1997, pp. 24–25.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference keith-call-homeland was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Shani, Giorgio (2007). Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age. Routledge. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-134-10189-4. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023. However, the term Khalistan was first coined by Dr V.S. Bhatti to denote an independent Sikh state in March 1940. Dr Bhatti made the case for a separate Sikh state in a pamphlet entitled 'Khalistan' in response to the Muslim League's Lahore Resolution.
  8. ^ Bianchini, Stefano; Chaturvedi, Sanjay; Ivekovic, Rada; Samaddar, Ranabir (2004). Partitions: Reshaping States and Minds. Routledge. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-134-27654-7. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023. Around the same time, a pamphlet of about forty pages, entitled 'Khalistan', and authored by medical doctor, V.S. Bhatti, also appeared.
  9. ^ Gupta, Shekhar; Subramanian, Nirupaman (15 December 1993). "You can't get Khalistan through military movement: Jagat Singh Chouhan". India Today. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  10. ^ a b c "New brand of Sikh militancy: Suave, tech-savvy pro-Khalistan youth radicalised on social media". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  11. ^ "India gives Trudeau list of suspected Sikh separatists in Canada". Reuters. 22 February 2018. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2018. The Sikh insurgency petered out in the 1990s. He told state leaders his country would not support anyone trying to reignite the movement for an independent Sikh homeland called Khalistan.
  12. ^ Fair, C. Christine (2005). "Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies: Insights from the Khalistan and Tamil Eelam Movements". Nationalism and Ethnic Politics. 11: 125–156. doi:10.1080/13537110590927845. ISSN 1353-7113. S2CID 145552863.
  13. ^ Weisman, Steven R. "A Top Indian General is Assassinated", Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 11 August 1986.
  14. ^ "The Vaidya Murder Case: Confirming Death Sentences", India Abroad. (New York edition). New York, N.Y.: 24 July 1992. Vol.XXII, Issue. 43; pg.20.
  15. ^ "Punjab on edge over hanging of Beant Singh's killer Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana". India Today. 28 March 2012. Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  16. ^ Van Dyke, The Khalistan Movement (2009), p. 990.
  17. ^ Ali, Haider (6 June 2018). "Mass protests erupt around Golden Temple complex as pro-Khalistan sikhs mark Blue Star anniversary". Daily Pakistan. Archived from the original on 6 July 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  18. ^ "UK: Pakistani-origin lawmaker leads protests in London to call for Kashmir, Khalistan freedom". Scroll. 27 January 2018. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  19. ^ Bhattacharyya, Anirudh (5 June 2017). "Pro-Khalistan groups plan event in Canada to mark Operation Bluestar anniversary". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  20. ^ Majumdar, Ushinor. "Sikh Extremists in Canada, The UK And Italy Are Working With ISI Or Independently". Outlook India. Archived from the original on 20 July 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2018. Q. Is it clear which "foreign hand" is driving this entire nexus? A. Evidence gathered by the police and other agencies points to the ISI as the key perpetrator of extremism in Punjab. (Amarinder Singh Indian Punjab Chief Minister)
  21. ^ "Simranjit Singh Mann stokes row, dedicates Sangrur win to Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale: Know about pro-Khalistan leader", Firstpost, 27 June 2022, archived from the original on 27 June 2022, retrieved 27 June 2022
  22. ^ "Sangrur Bypoll Results Live: AAP loses Bhagwant Mann's seat, SAD-A wins by 6,800 votes", Hindustan Times, 26 June 2022, archived from the original on 26 June 2022, retrieved 26 June 2022