Khalistan movement: Difference between revisions

{{Use Indian English|date=August 2016}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}

Ever since the separatist movement gathered force in the 1980s, the territorial ambitions of Khalistan have at times included [[Chandigarh]], sections of the Indian Punjab, including the whole of [[North India]], and some parts of the western states of India.<ref name="Crenshaw">Crenshaw, Martha, 1995, ''Terrorism in Context'', [[Pennsylvania State University]], {{ISBN|978-0-271-01015-1}} p. 364</ref> [[Prime Minister of Pakistan]] [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]], according to [[Jagjit Singh Chohan]], had proposed all out help to create Khalistan during his talks with Chohan, following the conclusion of the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]].<ref name="ChohanIT"/>

The call for a separate Sikh state began in the wake of the fall of the [[British Raj|British Empire]].<ref name="keith-call-homeland"/> In 1940, the first explicit call for Khalistan was made in a pamphlet titled "Khalistan".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Shani|first1=Giorgio|title=Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age|date=2007|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-10189-4|page=51 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/HKu66SixH6AC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=bhatti|quote=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.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Bianchini|first1=Stefano|last2=Chaturvedi |first2=Sanjay|last3=Ivekovic|first3=Rada|last4=Samaddar|first4=Ranabir|title=Partitions: Reshaping States and Minds|date=2004|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-27654-7|page=121 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/32h_AgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=pamphlet%20forty%20pages|quote=Around the same time, a pamphlet of about forty pages, entitled 'Khalistan', and authored by medical doctor, V.S. Bhatti, also appeared.}}</ref> With financial and political support of the [[Sikh diaspora]], the movement flourished in the Indian state of Punjab – which has a [[Demographics of Punjab, India|Sikh-majority population]] – continuing through the 1970s and 1980s, and reaching its zenith in the late 1980s. In the 1990s, the insurgency petered out,<ref name="india-canada-list"/> and the movement failed to reach its objective for multiple reasons including a heavy police crackdown on separatists, factional infighting, and disillusionment from the Sikh population.

== Pre-1950s ==

Sikhs have  been concentrated in the [[Punjab|Punjab region]] of [[South Asia]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wallace |first1=Paul |title=The Sikhs as a "Minority" in a Sikh Majority State in India |journal=Asian Survey |date=1986 |volume=26 |issue=3 |pages=363–377 |doi=10.2307/2644197 |jstor=2644197 |issn=0004-4687|quote=Over 8,000,000 of India's 10,378,979 Sikhs were concentrated in Punjab}}</ref> Before its conquest by the British, the region around Punjab had been ruled by the confederacy of Sikh [[Misl]]s founded by [[Banda Bahadur]]. The Misls ruled over the entire Punjab from 1767 to 1799,{{sfnp|Jolly, Sikh Revivalist Movements|1988|p=6}} until their confederacy was unified into the [[Sikh Empire]] by [[Maharajah Ranjit Singh]] from 1799 to 1849.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Purewal |first1=Navtej K. |title=Living on the Margins: Social Access to Shelter in Urban South Asia |date=2017 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-351-74899-5 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Living_on_the_Margins_Social_Access_to_S/JFM8DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Maharaja+Ranjit+Singh+unified&pg=PT68&printsec=frontcover |language=en|quote=The wrangling between various Sikh groupings were resolved by the nineteenth century when Maharajah Ranjit Singh unified the Punjab from Peshawar t the Sutluj River.}}</ref>

As the British Empire began to dissolve in the 1930s, Sikhs made their first call for a Sikh homeland.<ref name="keith-call-homeland">{{cite book |last1=Axel |first1=Brian Keith |title=The Nation's Tortured Body: Violence, Representation, and the Formation of a Sikh "Diaspora" |date=2001 |publisher=Duke University Press |isbn=978-0-8223-2615-1 |pages=84 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Nation_s_Tortured_Body/Gj8yJsixw8QC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=akali+dal+khalistan+1930s&pg=PA84&printsec=frontcover |language=en|quote=The call for a Sikh homeland was first made in the 1930s, addressed to the quickly dissolving empire.}}</ref> When the [[Lahore Resolution]] of the [[All-India Muslim League|Muslim League]] demanded Punjab be made into a Muslim state, the [[Akali movement|Akalis]] viewed it as an attempt to usurp a historically Sikh territory.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Axel |first1=Brian Keith |title=The Nation's Tortured Body: Violence, Representation, and the Formation of a Sikh "Diaspora" |date=2001 |publisher=Duke University Press |isbn=978-0-8223-2615-1 |pages=85 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Nation_s_Tortured_Body/Gj8yJsixw8QC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=akali+dal+khalistan+1930s&pg=PA84&printsec=frontcover |language=en|quote=The Akalis viewed the Lahore Resolution and the Cripps Mission as a betrayal of the Sikhs and an attempt to usurp what, since the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, was historically a Sikh territory.}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last1=Tan |first1=Tai Yong |author-link1=Tan Tai Yong |last2=Kudaisya |first2=Gyanesh |author-link2=Gyanesh Kudaisya |year=2005 |orig-year=First published 2000 |title=The Aftermath of Partition in South Asia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aPOBAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA100 |publisher=Routledge |page=100 |isbn=978-0-415-28908-5 |quote=The professed intention of the Muslim League to impose a Muslim state on the Punjab (a Muslim majority province) was anathema to the Sikhs ... the Sikhs launched a virulent campaign against the Lahore Resolution ... Sikh leaders of all political persuasions made it clear that Pakistan would be 'wholeheartedly resisted'.}}</ref> In response, the Sikh party [[Shiromani Akali Dal]] argued for a community that was separate from Hindus and Muslims.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Axel |first1=Brian Keith |title=The Nation's Tortured Body: Violence, Representation, and the Formation of a Sikh "Diaspora" |date=2001 |publisher=Duke University Press |isbn=978-0-8223-2615-1 |pages=84 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Nation_s_Tortured_Body/Gj8yJsixw8QC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=akali+dal+khalistan+1930s&pg=PA84&printsec=frontcover |language=en|quote=Against the nationalist ideology of a united India, which called for all groups to set aside "communal" differences, the Shiromani Akali Dal Party of the 1930s rallied around the proposition of a Sikh panth (community) that was separate from Hindus and Muslims.}}</ref> The Akali Dal imagined Khalistan as a [[theocracy|theocratic]] state led by the [[Maharaja of Patiala]] with the aid of a cabinet consisting of the representatives of other units.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shani |first1=Giorgio |title=Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age |date=2007 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-10189-4 |pages=52 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Sikh_Nationalism_and_Identity_in_a_Globa/HKu66SixH6AC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=shani+theocratic+state+khalistan&pg=PA52&printsec=frontcover |language=en|quote=Khalistan was imagined as a theocratic state, a mirror-image of 'Muslim' Pakistan, led by the Maharaja of Patiala with the aid of a cabinet consisting of representing federating units.}}</ref> The country would include parts of present-day [[Punjab, India]], present-day [[Punjab, Pakistan]] (including [[Lahore]]), and the [[Shimla|Simla]] [[Hill States of India|Hill States]].<ref>{{citation |title=The Foreign Policy of Pakistan: Ethnic Impacts on Diplomacy 1971–1994 |last=Shah |first=Mehtab Ali |date=1997 |publisher=I.B.Tauris |isbn=978-1-86064-169-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7czT4fipTyoC&q=khalistan+lahore&pg=PA25}}</ref>

=== Sikh relationship with Punjab (via Oberoi) ===

Sikh historian [[Harjot Oberoi|Harjot Singh Oberoi]] argues that, despite the historical linkages between Sikhs and Punjab, territory has never been a major element of Sikh self-definition. He makes the case that the attachment of Punjab with Sikhism is a recent phenomenon, stemming from the 1940s.{{sfnp|Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies|2005|p=129}} Historically, [[Sikhism]] has been pan-Indian, with the [[Guru Granth Sahib]] (the main scripture of Sikhism) drawing from works of saints in both North and South India, while several major seats in Sikhism (e.g. [[Nankana Sahib]] in Pakistan,&nbsp;[[Takht Sri Patna Sahib]] in [[Bihar]], and [[Hazur Sahib]] in [[Maharashtra]]) are located outside of Punjab.<ref>{{Cite web|date=1999-11-30|title=Gurudwaras Outside of Punjab State|url=https://www.allaboutsikhs.com/gurudwaras/gurudwaras-in-india/gurudwaras-outside-of-punjab-state-v15-2736/|access-date=2020-10-17|website=Gateway To Sikhism|language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Emergence in India ===

Following the 1947 independence of India, the [[Punjabi Suba movement]], led by the Akali Dal, sought the creation of a province (''[[Subah|suba]]'') for [[Punjabis|Punjabi people]]. The Akali Dal's maximal position of demands was a [[sovereign state]] (i.e. Khalistan), while its minimal position was to have an [[Autonomous administrative division|autonomous state]] within India.{{sfnp|Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies|2005|p=134}} The issues raised during the Punjabi Suba movement were later used as a premise for the creation of a separate Sikh country by proponents of Khalistan.

</ref>

====Anandpur Resolution====

As Punjab and Haryana now shared the capital of Chandigarh, resentment was felt among Sikhs in Punjab.<ref name=":1" /> Adding further grievance, a canal system was put in place over the rivers of [[Ravi River|Ravi]], [[Beas River|Beas]], and [[Sutlej]], which flowed through Punjab, in order for water to also reach Haryana and [[Rajasthan]]. As result, Punjab would only receive 23% of the water while the rest would go to the two other states. The fact that the issue would not be revisited brought on additional turmoil to Sikh resentment against Congress.<ref name=":1" />

The document was largely forgotten for some time after its adoption until gaining attention in the following decade. In 1982, the Akali Dal and [[Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale]] joined hands to launch the Dharam Yudh Morcha in order to implement the resolution. Thousands of people joined the movement, feeling that it represented a real solution to such demands as larger shares of water for irrigation and the return of Chandigarh to Punjab.<ref name="Akshay1991">{{cite book|author=Akshayakumar Ramanlal Desai|title=Expanding Governmental Lawlessness and Organized Struggles|year=1991|pages=64–66|publisher=Popular Prakashan|isbn=978-81-7154-529-2}}</ref>

===Emergence in the diaspora===

==== Chohan in Pakistan and US ====

==== Khalistan National Council ====

In May 1980, Chohan travelled to [[London]] to announce the formation of Khalistan. A similar announcement was made in [[Amritsar]] by Sandhu, who released stamps and currency of Khalistan. Operating from a building termed "Khalistan House", Chohan named a Cabinet and declared himself president of the "Republic of Khalistan," issuing symbolic Khalistan 'passports,' 'postage stamps,' and 'Khalistan dollars.' Moreover, embassies in Britain and other European countries were opened by Chohan.<ref name="NYT_Chohan_Dies" /> It is reported that, with the support of a wealthy Californian peach magnate, Chohan opened an Ecuadorian bank account to further support his operation.<ref name=":2" /> As well as maintaining contacts among various groups in Canada, the US, and Germany, Chohan kept in contact with the Sikh leader [[Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale]] who was campaigning for a [[Theocracy|theocratic]] Sikh homeland.<ref name="NYT_Chohan_Dies"/>

The globalized Sikh diaspora invested efforts and resources for Khalistan, but the Khalistan movement remained nearly invisible on the global political scene until the Operation Blue Star of June 1984.{{sfnp|Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies|2005|p=135}}

== Late 1970s to 1983 ==

===Delhi Asian Games (1982)===

Following the conclusion of the Games, Longowal organised a convention of Sikh veterans at the [[Golden Temple|Darbar Sahib]]. It was attended by a large number of Sikh ex-servicemen, including {{Abbr|retd.|retired}} [[General (India)|Major General]] [[Shabeg Singh]] who subsequently became Bhindranwale's military advisor.<ref name="JSChima" />

===Increasing militant activity===

=== Constitutional issues ===

=== Operation Blue Star ===

[[Operation Blue Star]] was an Indian military operation ordered by [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]] [[Indira Gandhi]], between 1 and 8 June 1984, to remove militant religious leader [[Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale]] and his armed followers from the buildings of the [[Golden Temple|Harmandir Sahib]] complex (aka the Golden Temple) in [[Amritsar]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]]{{snd}}the most sacred site in Sikhism.<ref name="TH_Mi6">{{cite news |title=RAW chief consulted MI6 in build-up to Operation Bluestar |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/raw-chief-consulted-mi6-in-buildup-to-operation-bluestar/article5579516.ece |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=16 January 2014 |location=Chennai, India |first=Praveen |last=Swami}}</ref>

As negotiations held with Bhindranwale and his supporters proved unsuccessful, Indira Gandhi ordered the [[Indian Army]] to launch Operation Blue Star.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia

  |editor-first = Stanley A.

  |year = 2009 }}

{{Quote|text=The action is not against the Sikhs or the Sikh religion; it is against terrorism. If there is anyone amongst them, who have strong religious sentiments or other reservations, and do not wish to take part in the operation he can opt out, and it will not be held against him.|sign=Lieutenant General [[Kuldip Singh Brar]]|source=|title=}}

However, none of the soldiers opted out, including many "Sikh officers, junior commissioned officers and other ranks."<ref name=":4" /> Using a [[public address system]], the Army repeatedly demanded the militants to surrender, asking them to at least allow pilgrims to leave the temple premises before commencing battle.

[[Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs|U.K. Foreign Secretary]] [[William Hague]] attributed high civilian casualties to the Indian Government's attempt at a full frontal assault on the militants, diverging from the recommendations provided by the [[British Army|U.K. Military]].<ref group="lower-roman">Hague, William. 2014. "[https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alleged-uk-link-to-operation-at-sri-harmandir-sahib-amritsar-1984 Allegations of UK Involvement in the Indian Operation at Sri Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar 1984]."  ([[White paper|Policy paper]]). Available as a [https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/277292/Cabinet_Secretary_report_to_PM_on_allegations_of_UK_involveme....pdf PDF]. Retrieved 17 May 2020.

Nonetheless, the operation did not crush Khalistani militancy, as it continued.{{sfnp|Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies|2005|p=128}}

=== Assassination of Indira Gandhi and anti-Sikh riots ===

[[File:Indira Gandhi 1977.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Indira Gandhi]]]]

{{main|Indira Gandhi assassination}}

The [[Nanavati Commission]], a special commission created to investigate the riots, concluded that INC leaders (including [[Jagdish Tytler]], [[H. K. L. Bhagat]], and [[Sajjan Kumar]]) had directly or indirectly taken a role in the rioting incidents.<ref>[[G. T. Nanavati|Nanavati, G. T.]] 9 February 2005. "[https://www.mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/Nanavati-I_eng_3.pdf Report of the Justice Nanavati Commission of Inquiry (1984 Anti-Sikh Riots)]" 1. New Delhi: [[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)|Ministry of Home Affairs]]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20141127130507/http://www.mha.nic.in/hindi/sites/upload_files/mhahindi/files/pdf/Nanavati-I_eng.pdf Archived] from the original 27 November 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2020.

In 1985, The [[Government of India]] attempted to seek a political solution to the grievances of the Sikhs through the [[Rajiv-Longowal Accord]], which took place between Longowal and Prime Minister [[Rajiv Gandhi]]. The Accord{{snd}}recognizing the religious, territorial, and economic demands of the Sikhs that were thought to be non-negotiable under Indira Gandhi's tenure{{snd}}agreed to establish commissions and independent tribunals in order to resolve the Chandigarh issue and the river dispute, laying the basis for Akali Dal's victory in the coming elections.<ref name=":1" />

====Air India Flight 182====

[[Air India Flight 182]] was an [[Air India]] flight operating on the [[Montreal|Montréal]]-[[London]]-[[Delhi]]-[[Bombay]] route. On 23 June 1985, a [[Boeing 747]] operating on the route was blown up by a bomb mid-air off the coast of [[Ireland]]. A total of 329 people aboard were killed, <ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/airindia/victims.html In Depth: Air India] – The Victims, CBC News Online, 16 March 2005</ref> 268 Canadian citizens, 27 British citizens and 24 Indian citizens, including the flight crew. On the same day, an explosion due to a luggage bomb was linked to the terrorist operation and occurred at the [[Narita International Airport|Narita Airport]] in Tokyo, Japan, intended for Air India Flight 301, killing two baggage handlers. The entire event was inter-continental in scope, killing 331 people in total and affected five countries on different continents: [[Canada]], the [[United Kingdom]], [[India]], [[Japan]], and [[Ireland]].

Several men were arrested and tried for the Air India bombing. Inderjit Singh Reyat, a [[Canadians|Canadian]] national and member of the [[International Sikh Youth Federation]] who pleaded guilty in 2003 to [[manslaughter]], would be the only person convicted in the case.<ref name="ISYFlink" /><ref>{{cite news|last=Bolan|first=Kim|date=9 February 2008|title=Air India bombmaker sent to holding centre|newspaper=Ottawa Citizen|url=http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=9bfcf081-3b29-45ea-8bb3-ad82c051bcbb|url-status=live|access-date=2009-05-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109171020/http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=9bfcf081-3b29-45ea-8bb3-ad82c051bcbb|archive-date=9 November 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> He was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for assembling the bombs that exploded on board Air India Flight 182 and at [[Narita International Airport|Narita Airport]].<ref>{{cite news|date=9 July 2008|title=Convicted Air India bomb-builder Inderjit Singh Reyat gets bail|publisher=CBC News|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/convicted-air-india-bomb-builder-inderjit-singh-reyat-gets-bail-1.732447|url-status=live|access-date=2009-06-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080710234916/http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/07/09/bc-air-india-reyat-bail.html|archive-date=10 July 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

=== Late 1980s ===

{{Main|Punjab insurgency}}

In the parliamentary elections of 1989, Sikh separatist representatives were victorious in 10 of Punjab's 13 national seats and had the most popular support.{{sfnp|Gurharpal Singh, Ethnic Conflict in India|2000|loc=Chapters 8 & 9}}{{request quotation|date=December 2018}} The Congress cancelled those elections and instead hosted a [[Khaki election]]. The separatists boycotted the poll. The voter turnout was 24%. The Congress won this election and used it to further its anti-separatist campaign. Most of the separatist leadership was wiped out and the moderates were suppressed by end of 1993.{{sfnp|Gurharpal Singh, Ethnic Conflict in India|2000|loc=Chapter 10}}{{request quotation|date=December 2018}}

=== 1990s ===

In October 1991, the ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' reported that violence had increased sharply in the months leading up to the kidnapping, with Indian security forces or Sikh militants killing 20 or more people per day, and that the militants had been "gunning down" family members of police officers.<ref name="nytenvoy" /> Scholar Ian Talbot states that all sides, including the Indian Army, police and the militants, committed crimes like murder, rape and torture.{{sfnp|Talbot, India and Pakistan|2000|p=272}}

==== Retribution ====

==== Present-day activities ====

Moreover, signs in favour of Khalistan were raised when SAD (Amritsar) President Simranjeet Singh Mann met with [[Surat Singh Khalsa]], who was admitted to [[Dayanand Medical College & Hospital]] (DMCH). While Mann was arguing with ACP Satish Malhotra, supporters standing at the main gate of DMCH raised Khalistan signs in the presence of heavy police force. After a confrontation with the police authorities that lasted about 15–20 minutes, Mann was allowed to meet Khalsa along with ADCP Paramjeet Singh Pannu.<ref>{{cite web|title=Khalistan slogans raised as Mann comes to meet Khalsa|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/punjab-and-haryana/khalistan-slogans-raised-as-mann-comes-to-meet-khalsa/|date=25 July 2015|website=The Indian Express}}</ref>

Despite residing outside India, there is a strong sense of attachment among Sikhs to their culture and religion. As such, Sikh groups operating from other countries could potentially revive the Khalistan Movement.<ref name="stsfor.org">{{cite web|title=Probable Resurgence of the Khalistan Movement: Role of the Sikh Diaspora – Science, Technology and Security forum|url=http://stsfor.org/content/probable-resurgence-khalistan-movement-role-sikh-diaspora|website=stsfor.org|quote=Recent reports clearly indicate a rise in the pro-Khalistan sentiments among the Sikh Diaspora overseas, which could potentially revive the secessionist movement.}}</ref> There is persistent demand for justice for the Sikh victims during the peak of the Khalistan movement. In some ways, The Sikh diaspora can be seen as torch-bearers of the Khalistan movement, which is now considered to be highly political and military in nature. Recent reports indicate a rise in pro-Khalistan sentiments among the Sikh diaspora overseas who can revive the secessionist movement. Some people were even spotted during the World Cup 2019 in pro-khalistan jerseys, but were then whisked out of the stadium.<ref name="stsfor.org" />

In retrospect, the Khalistan movement has failed to reach its objectives in India due to several reasons:

* The confidence building measures adopted by the Sikh community helped in rooting out the Khalistan movement.<ref name="HT_Period" />

== Militancy ==

=== Militant groups ===

Major pro-Khalistan militant outfits include:

* [[Babbar Khalsa]] International (BKI)

** Designated by the US and the Canadian courts for the bombing of [[Air India Flight 182]] on 27 June 2002.<ref name="cbcca-extremism"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/20123.pdf |title=Appendix F: Countering Terrorism on the Economic Front |publisher=US Department of State |page=2 |access-date=31 May 2009}}</ref>

* [[Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan|Bhindranwala Tiger Force of Khalistan]] (BTFK; aka Bhindranwale Tiger Force, BTF)

** Listed in 1995 as one of the 4 "major militant groups" in the Khalistan movement.<ref name="TerrorismInContext">{{citation|title=Terrorism in Context|date=1995|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9nFyZaZGthgC|page=656|editor=Martha Crenshaw|publisher=Pennsylvania State University Press|isbn=978-0-271-01015-1}}</ref>

* [[Khalistan Commando Force]] (KCF){{sfnp|Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies|2005|p=129}}

** According to the DOS <ref name="KCFconvict" /> and the Assistant Inspector General of the [[Punjab Police (India)|Punjab Police]] Intelligence Division,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/p/inl/rls/nrcrpt/2008/vol2/html/101353.htm |title=Law Enforcement Cases: International Narcotics Control Strategy Report: Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs |date=March 2008 |publisher=US Department of State |access-date=8 June 2009}}</ref> the KCF was responsible for the deaths of thousands in India, including the 1995 assassination of Chief Minister [[Beant Singh (politician)|Beant Singh]].<ref name="KCFconvict" />

* [[Khalistan Liberation Army]] (KLA)

* [[Khalistan Liberation Force]]{{sfnp|Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies|2005|p=129}}

** Formed in 1986

* [[Khalistan Zindabad Force]] (KZF)

** Listed as a terrorist organisation by the EU.<ref name="EU_terror_list" />

* [[Shaheed Khalsa Force]]

The [[United States Department of State|U.S. Department of State]] found that Sikh extremism had decreased significantly from 1992 to 1997, although a 1997 report noted that "Sikh militant cells are active internationally and extremists gather funds from overseas Sikh communities."<ref name="uspatterns">{{cite web |url=https://1997-2001.state.gov/www/global/terrorism/1997Report/backg.html |title=Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1997 – appendix B |year=1997 |publisher=U. S. Department of State |access-date=25 May 2009}}</ref>

Operation Blue Star and its violent aftermaths popularized the demand for Khalistan among many Sikhs dispersed globally.{{sfnp|Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies|2005|p=136}} Involvement of sections of Sikh diaspora turned out to be important for the movement as it provided the diplomatic and financial support. It also enabled Pakistan to become involved in the fueling of the movement. Sikhs in UK, Canada and USA arranged for cadres to travel to Pakistan for military and financial assistance. Some Sikh groups abroad even declared themselves as the Khalistani government in exile.{{sfnp|Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies|2005|p=128}}

Different groups of Sikhs in the diaspora organize the convention of international meetings to facilitate communication and establish organizational order. In April 1981 the first "International Convention of Sikhs," was held in New York and was attended by some 200 delegates. In April 1987 the third convention was held in Slough, Berkshire where the Khalistan issue was addressed. This meeting's objective was to "build unity in the Khalistan movement."{{sfnp|Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies|2005|p=132}}

All these factors further strengthened the emerging nationalism among Sikhs. Sikh organizations launched many fund-raising efforts that were used for several purposes. After 1984 one of the objectives was the promotion of the Sikh version of "ethnonational history" and the relationship with the Indian state. The Sikh diaspora also increased their efforts to build institutions to maintain and propagate their ethnonational heritage. A major objective of these educational efforts was to publicize a different face to the non Sikh international community who regarded the Sikhs as "terrorists."{{sfnp|Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies|2005|p=137}}

Pakistan has long aspired to dismember India through its ''[[Bleed India with a Thousand Cuts|Bleed India]]'' strategy. Even before the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]], [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]], then a member of the military regime of General [[Yahya Khan]], stated, "Once the back of Indian forces is broken in the east, Pakistan should occupy the whole of Eastern India and make it a permanent part of East Pakistan.... Kashmir should be taken at any price, even the Sikh Punjab and turned into Khalistan."{{sfnp|Behera, Demystifying Kashmir|2007|pp=87–88}}

In 2008, India's [[Intelligence Bureau (India)|Intelligence Bureau]] indicated that Pakistan's [[Inter-Services Intelligence]] organisation was trying to revive Sikh militancy.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/jun/10vicky.htm |title=200 Pak organisations raise funds for terror: IB |last=Nanjappa |first=Vicky |date=10 June 2008 |work=Rediff.com}}</ref>

Immediately after [[Operation Blue Star]], authorities were unprepared for how quickly extremism spread and gained support in Canada, with extremists "...threatening to kill thousands of Hindus by a number of means, including blowing up Air India flights."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=86965 |title=Sikh extremism spread fast in Canada |date=23 May 2007 |publisher=expressindia.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://ia.rediff.com/news/2007/may/23ai1.htm |title=Sikh extremism in Canada mushroomed very quickly |date=23 May 2007|work=rediff.com }}</ref> Canadian [[Member of Parliament]] [[Ujjal Dosanjh]], a moderate Sikh, stated that he and others who spoke out against Sikh extremism in the 1980s faced a "reign of terror".<ref name="THESTAR">{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/article/278833 |title=The reign of terror is still there |last=Brown |first=Jim |date=22 November 2007<!-- 04:30 AM--> |place=Toronto |work=[[Toronto Star]]}}</ref>

[[Terry Milewski]] reported in a 2007 documentary for the CBC that a minority within Canada's Sikh community was gaining political influence even while publicly supporting terrorist acts in the struggle for an independent Sikh state.<ref name="cbcca-extremism" /> In response, the [[World Sikh Organization of Canada]] (WSO), a Canadian Sikh human rights group that opposes violence and extremism,<ref name="WSO website">{{cite web |url=http://www.worldsikh.ca |title=Netfirms &#124; This site is temporarily unavailable |publisher=Worldsikh.ca |access-date=2015-09-27}}</ref> sued the CBC for "defamation, slander, and libel", alleging that Milewski linked it to terrorism and damaged the reputation of the WSO within the Sikh community.<ref name="WSOsuesCBC">{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/2007/07/11/sikh_organization_sues_cbc.html |title=Sikh organization sues CBC |last=Grewal |first=San |work=Toronto Star  |date=11 July 2007}}</ref> In 2015, however, the WSO unconditionally abandoned "any and all claims" made in its lawsuit.

In 2008, a CBC report stated that "a disturbing brand of extremist politics has surfaced" at some of the [[Vaisakhi]] and the [[Buddhist]] [[Visakha Puja|Vesak]] parades in Canada,<ref name="cbcca-extremism"/> and The Trumpet agreed with the CBC assessment.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thetrumpet.com/?q=3980.2206.0.0 |title=Sikh Terrorism Enters Politics in Canada |last=Morley |first=Robert |publisher=The Trumpet |access-date=25 May 2009}}</ref> Two leading Canadian Sikh politicians refused to attend the parade in [[Surrey, British Columbia|Surrey]], saying it was a glorification of terrorism.<ref name="cbcca-extremism"/> In 2008, Dr. [[Manmohan Singh]], Prime Minister of India, expressed his concern that there might be a resurgence of Sikh extremism.<ref name="RNWSikhExt">{{cite news |url=http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/region/asiapacific/080306-india-sikh-extremism |title=India PM warns against renewed Sikh extremism |last=Thorne |first=Barry |date=6 March 2008 |publisher=Radio Netherlands Worldwide |archive-url=https://archive.today/20080310231437/http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/region/asiapacific/080306-india-sikh-extremism |archive-date=10 March 2008 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="KBresurgent">{{cite news |url=http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=2be0865c-29ba-4dab-9bcc-d945e75007c1 |title=Sikh separatist threat on rise in Canada: Indian PM warns of resurgent threat in Canada |last=Bolan |first=Kim |date=11 March 2008 |newspaper=Vancouver Sun |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112020313/http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=2be0865c-29ba-4dab-9bcc-d945e75007c1 |archive-date=12 November 2013 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

A 2020 report by Canadian ex-journalist [[Terry Milewski]] criticized the Khalistan movement as driven by the Pakistani government, and as a threat to Canadian interests.<ref> {{Cite journal|last=Milewski|first=Terry|date=September 2020|title=Khalistan: A project of Pakistan|url=https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/files/pdf/20200820_Khalistan_Air_India_Milewski_PAPER_FWeb.pdf|journal=|publisher=Macdonald-Laurier Institute|volume=|pages=|via=}}</ref>

[[Steve Bassam, Baron Bassam of Brighton|Lord Bassam of Brighton]], then [[Home Office]] minister, stated that [[International Sikh Youth Federation]] (ISYF) members working from the UK had committed  "assassinations, bombings, and kidnappings" and were a "threat to national security."<ref name="ISYFlink" />

[[Andrew Gilligan]], reporting for [[The London Evening Standard]], stated that the [[Sikh Federation (UK)]] is the "successor" of the ISYF, and that its executive committee, objectives, and senior members ... are largely the same.<ref name="ISYFlink">{{cite news|url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-mayor/article-23479477-details/Ken%27s+adviser+is+linked+to+terror+group/article.do|title=Ken's adviser is linked to terror group|last=Gilligan|first=Andrew|date=21 April 2008|work=The London Evening Standard|access-date=26 May 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612112108/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-mayor/article-23479477-details/Ken's+adviser+is+linked+to+terror+group/article.do|archive-date=12 June 2009|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="martyrboard">{{cite news|url=http://www.esadvertising.co.uk/media/images/mayor169_5330.pdf |title=Sikh civil servant who backs 'martyr' is now on TfL board |last=Gilligan |first=Andrew |date=21 April 2008 |work=Evening Standard |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617104652/http://www.esadvertising.co.uk/media/images/mayor169_5330.pdf |archive-date=17 June 2009 }}</ref>

==See also==

* [[Sikhism in India]]

* [[Khalsa]]

== Notes ==

{{refbegin|40em}}

* {{citation |last=Axel |first=Brian Keith |title=The nation's Tortured Body: Violence, representation, and the formation of a Sikh "Diaspora" |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gj8yJsixw8QC&pg=PA101 |year=2001 |publisher=Duke University Press |isbn=978-0-8223-2615-1 |ref={{sfnref|Axel, The Nation's Tortured Body|2011}}}}

* {{citation |last1=Fair |first1=C. Christine |title=Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies: Insights from the Khalistan and Tamil Eelam Movements |journal=Nationalism and Ethnic Politics |volume=11 |date=2005 |pages=125–156 |doi=10.1080/13537110590927845  |s2cid=145552863 |ref={{sfnref|Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies|2005}}}}

* {{citation |last1=Ghosh |first1=Srikanta |title=Indian Democracy Derailed – Politics and Politicians |date=1997 |publisher=APH Publishing |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RGyO0E86X1oC&pg=PA95 |ref={{SfnRef|Ghosh, Indian Democracy Derailed|1997}}|isbn=978-81-7024-866-8 }}

* {{citation |last=Jolly |first=Surjit |title=Sikh Revivalist Movements |year=1988 |publisher=Gitanjali Publishing House |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fI7XAAAAMAAJ |ref={{sfnref|Jolly, Sikh Revivalist Movements|1988}}|isbn=978-81-85060-23-1 }}

* {{citation |last=Mahmood |first=Cynthia Keppley |title=Fighting for Faith and Nation |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |date=1996 |series=Series in Contemporary Ethnography |isbn=978-0-8122-1592-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8QufTc6fAocC }}

* {{citation |last1=Pettigrew |first1=Joyce |title=The Sikhs of the Punjab: Unheard Voices of State and Guerrilla Violence |date=1995 |publisher=Zed Books |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7VBuAAAAMAAJ |ref={{sfnref|Pettigrew, The Sikhs of the Punjab|1995}}|isbn=978-1-85649-355-0 }}

* {{citation |last=Shah |first=Mehtab Ali |title=The Foreign Policy of Pakistan: Ethnic Impacts on Diplomacy 1971–1994 |date=1997 |publisher=I.B.Tauris |isbn=978-1-86064-169-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7czT4fipTyoC |ref={{sfnref|Mehtab Ali Shah, The Foreign Policy of Pakistan|1997}}}}

* [http://www.sikhtimes.com/news_061605a.html The Ghost of Khalistan] – Sikh Times

* {{citation |title=The Punjab Mass Cremations Case: India Burning the Rule of Law |url=http://www.ensaaf.org/publications/reports/cremations.pdf |date=January 2007 |publisher=Ensaaf |access-date=23 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717045932/http://www.ensaaf.org/publications/reports/cremations.pdf |archive-date=17 July 2011 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}

* Ram Narayan Kumar ''et al.'' ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20060705030307/http://www.punjabjustice.org/report/report.htm Reduced to Ashes: The Insurgency and Human Rights in Punjab].'' [[South Asia Forum for Human Rights]], 2003.

* {{citation |last1=Lewis |first1=Mie |last2=Kaur |first2=Jaskaran |title=Punjab Police: Fabricating Terrorism Through Illegal Detention and Torture |url=http://www.ensaaf.org/publications/reports/fabricatingterrorism/fabricatingterrorism.pdf |date=5 October 2005 |publisher=Ensaaf |location=Santa Clara |access-date=23 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717045959/http://www.ensaaf.org/publications/reports/fabricatingterrorism/fabricatingterrorism.pdf |archive-date=17 July 2011 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}

* {{citation |last1=Silva |first1=Romesh |last2=Marwaha |first2=Jasmine |last3=Klingner |first3=Jeff |title=Violent Deaths and Enforced Disappearances During the Counterinsurgency in Punjab, India: A Preliminary Quantitative Analysis |url=http://www.ensaaf.org/publications/reports/descriptiveanalysis/reportwcover.pdf |date=26 January 2009 |publisher=Ensaaf and the Benetech Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG) |location=Palo Alto |access-date=23 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717050107/http://www.ensaaf.org/publications/reports/descriptiveanalysis/reportwcover.pdf |archive-date=17 July 2011 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}

{{refend}}

* {{citation |last=Sharma |first=Sadhna |title=State Politics in India |year=1995 |publisher=Mittal Publications |location=New Delhi |page=324}}

{{refend}}

{{Sikhism}}