Knowledge Nugget of the day: Khalistan movement

Key Takeaways :

1. The Khalistan question is simply a combat for a separate, sovereign Sikh authorities successful contiguous time Punjab (both India and Pakistan). Over the years, it has survived successful assorted forms, successful assorted places and amongst antithetic populations.

2. The Khalistan question was crushed successful India pursuing Operation Blue Star (1984) and Operation Black Thunder (1986 and 1988), but it continues to evoke sympathy and enactment among sections of the Sikh population, particularly successful the Sikh diaspora successful countries specified arsenic Canada, the UK, and Australia.

3. The origins of the khalistan movement have been traced backmost to India’s independency and consequent Partition on spiritual lines. The Punjab province, which was divided betwixt India and Pakistan, saw immoderate of the worst communal unit and generated millions of refugees: Sikhs and Hindus stranded connected the westbound (in Pakistan) rushed to the east, whereas Muslims successful the eastbound fled westward.

4. Lahore, the superior of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s large Sikh Empire, went to Pakistan, arsenic did beatified Sikh sites including Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak, the laminitis of Sikhism. While astir Sikhs recovered themselves successful India, they were a tiny number successful the country, making up astir 2 per cent of the population. It led to a consciousness of nonaccomplishment among Indian Sikhs, with culturally and religiously important cities, specified arsenic Lahore and Nankana Sahib, going to Pakistan.

5. The governmental conflict for greater autonomy began astir the clip of Independence, with the Punjabi Suba Movement for the instauration of a Punjabi-speaking state. The States Reorganisation Commission, successful its 1955 report, rejected this demand, but successful 1966, aft years of protest, the authorities of Punjab was reorganised to bespeak the Punjabi Suba demand.

6. The erstwhile Punjab authorities was trifurcated into the Hindi-speaking, Hindu-majority states of Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, and the Punjabi-speaking, Sikh-majority Punjab.

7. Even arsenic the question finds small resonance successful the Sikh colonisation wrong India, it survives successful parts of the Sikh diaspora successful countries similar Canada, the US, and the UK. In fact, the Khalistan question had been a planetary question from its inception. The archetypal declaration for a abstracted Sikh authorities was made successful the United States, successful a work nary little important than The New York Times. On October 12, 1971, an advertisement successful The New York Times proclaimed the commencement of Khalistan. “Today we are launching the last crusade till triumph is achieved … We are a federation successful our ain right”, it said.

BEYOND THE NUGGET: Anandpur Sahib Resolution

7. The Punjabi Suba question galvanised the Akali Dal, making it a large unit successful the caller Sikh-majority Punjab. The Congress faced pugnacious absorption from the Akali Dal successful the Legislative Assembly elections of 1967 and 1969. However, successful 1972, pursuing Indira Gandhi’s important triumph successful the 1971 Lok Sabha elections, the Akali Dal’s show successful the authorities was disappointing.

8. In 1973, the enactment convened astatine the ineffable municipality of Anandpur Sahib, the birthplace of the Khalsa, and released a database of demands that would signifier the governmental absorption of the Akali Dal. The Anandpur Sahib Resolution, among different things, called for autonomy for the authorities of Punjab, identified regions that would beryllium portion of a abstracted state, and sought the close to framework its ain interior constitution.

9. The Akali Dal was trying to currency successful connected the increasing request for an autonomous authorities which had emerged alongside the Punjabi Suba question and had gone planetary by 1971 — erstwhile an advertisement appeared connected The New York Times proclaiming the commencement of Khalistan.

10. While the Akalis clarified that they were not seeking secession from India, the Anandpur Sahib Resolution raised superior concerns for the Indian state.

(Sources: As Amritpal Singh’s followers tally amok, a little past of the Khalistan movement, History of the Khalistan question successful Canada)

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