Khalistan movement: Difference between revisions

[[File:Flag-of-Khalistan.svg|thumb|300x200px|The Proposed Flag of Khalistan is often used as a symbol of the Khalistan Movement.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shah |first=Murtaza Ali |date=27 January 2022 |title=Khalistan flag installed on Gandhi Statue in Washington |work=Geo News |url=https://www.geo.tv/amp/395548-khalistan-flag-installed-on-gandhi-statue-in-washington |access-date=31 July 2022}}</ref>]]

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There is some support within India and the Sikh diaspora, with yearly demonstrations in protest of those killed during [[Operation Blue Star]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ali|first1=Haider|title=Mass protests erupt around Golden Temple complex as pro-Khalistan sikhs mark Blue Star anniversary|url=https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/world/mass-protests-erupt-around-golden-temple-complex-as-pro-khalistan-sikhs-mark-blue-star-anniversary/|publisher=Daily Pakistan|date=6 June 2018|access-date=25 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=UK: Pakistani-origin lawmaker leads protests in London to call for Kashmir, Khalistan freedom |url=https://scroll.in/latest/866573/uk-pakistani-origin-lawmaker-leads-protests-in-london-to-call-for-kashmir-khalistan-freedom|website=Scroll|access-date=29 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Bhattacharyya|first1=Anirudh|title=Pro-Khalistan groups plan event in Canada to mark Operation Bluestar anniversary|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/pro-khalistan-groups-plan-event-in-canada-to-mark-operation-bluestar-anniversary/story-g6TtIBu1JXinwhvaQe0F5N.html|publisher=Hindustan Times|access-date=6 July 2018|date=5 June 2017}}</ref> In early 2018, some militant groups were arrested by police in Punjab, India.<ref name="HT_New2018">{{cite news|title=New brand of Sikh militancy: Suave, tech-savvy pro-Khalistan youth radicalised on social media|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/a-new-brand-of-sikh-militancy-rears-its-head/story-JH3XbAGk6sSxlYrVEDyISK.html|newspaper=Hindustan Times}}</ref> Former [[List of chief ministers of Punjab, India|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 [[United Kingdom|UK]].<ref name="OutlookAmarinder">{{cite news |last1=Majumdar|first1=Ushinor|title=Sikh Extremists In Canada, The UK And Italy Are Working With ISI Or Independently|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/sikh-extremists-in-canada-the-uk-and-italy-are-working-with-isi-or-independently/299753|newspaper=Outlook India|quote=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)}}</ref> Simranjit Singh Mann, elected in 2022 from Sangrur, is currently the only openly Khalistani MP in the Indian Parliament and his party, [[Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar)]], is currently the only pro-Khalistan party in the Indian parliament.<ref name="Dedicates">{{citation |title=Simranjit Singh Mann stokes row, dedicates Sangrur win to Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale: Know about pro-Khalistan leader |url=https://www.firstpost.com/politics/simranjit-singh-mann-stokes-row-dedicates-sangrur-win-to-jarnail-singh-bhindranwale-know-about-pro-khalistan-leader-10840911.html |access-date=27 June 2022 |work=[[Firstpost]] |date=27 June 2022 |language=en |archive-date=27 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220627072635/https://www.firstpost.com/politics/simranjit-singh-mann-stokes-row-dedicates-sangrur-win-to-jarnail-singh-bhindranwale-know-about-pro-khalistan-leader-10840911.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{citation |date=2022-06-26 |title=Sangrur Bypoll Results Live: AAP loses Bhagwant Mann's seat, SAD-A wins by 6,800 votes |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/sangrur-by-election-results-2022-live-updates-counting-of-votes-lok-sabha-bypoll-results-in-punjab-101656210234523.html |access-date=2022-06-26 |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |language=en |archive-date=26 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626091844/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/sangrur-by-election-results-2022-live-updates-counting-of-votes-lok-sabha-bypoll-results-in-punjab-101656210234523.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

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>

At the end of the [[Second Anglo-Sikh War]] in 1849, the Sikh Empire dissolved into separate [[princely state]]s and the [[Punjab Province (British India)|British province of Punjab]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Panton |first1=Kenneth J. |title=Historical Dictionary of the British Empire |date=2015 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-0-8108-7524-1 |pages=470 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Historical_Dictionary_of_the_British_Emp/WdFbCQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=sikh+empire+british&pg=PA470&printsec=frontcover |language=en|quote=A second conflict, just two years later, led to complete subjugation of the Sikhs and the incorporation of the remainder of their lands}}</ref> In newly conquered regions, "religio-nationalist movements emerged in response to British “[[divide and rule]]” administrative policies, the perceived success of Christian missionaries converting Hindu, Sikhs and Muslims, and a general belief that the solution to the downfall among India's religious communities was a grassroots religious revival."{{sfnp|Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies|2005|p=127}}

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 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>

Oberoi makes the case that Sikh leaders in the late 1930s and 1940s realized that the dominance of [[Islam in Pakistan|Muslims in Pakistan]] and of [[Hinduism in India|Hindus in India]] was imminent. To justify a separate Sikh state within the Punjab, Sikh leaders started to mobilize meta-commentaries and signs to argue that Punjab belonged to Sikhs and Sikhs belong to Punjab. This began the territorialization of the Sikh community.{{sfnp|Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies|2005|p=129}}

On 7 September 1966, the [[Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966|''Punjab Reorganisation Act'']] was passed in Parliament, implemented with effect beginning 1 November 1966. Accordingly, Punjab was divided into the state of Punjab and [[Haryana]], with certain areas to [[Himachal Pradesh]]. [[Chandigarh]] was made a centrally administered [[Union territory]].<ref name="india_gov_PRA_1966">{{cite web |url=http://india.gov.in/allimpfrms/allacts/474.pdf |title=The Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966 |publisher=Government of India |date=18 September 1966 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119110225/http://india.gov.in/allimpfrms/allacts/474.pdf |archive-date=19 January 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref> While the [[Government of India|Union Government]] led by [[Indira Gandhi]] agreed with the creation of Punjab state but refused to make Chandigarh as it's capital and also refused to make it autonomous. The outcome of the Punjabi Suba movement failed to meet demands of its leaders.<ref>{{cite book | author=[[Stanley Wolpert]]| title=India | publisher=[[University of California]] Press | year=2005 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HmkL1tp2Nl4C | page=216}}</ref>

The Akali Dal was defeated in the [[1972 Punjab Legislative Assembly election|1972 Punjab elections]].<ref name="Mitra_Puzzle">{{citation|last1=Mitra|first1=Subrata K.|title=The Puzzle of India's Governance: Culture, Context and Comparative Theory|date=2007|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GuILNHwcT4AC&pg=PA94|page=94|location=Advances in South Asian Studies|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-27493-2}}</ref> To regain public appeal, the party put forward the [[Anandpur Sahib Resolution]] in 1973 to demand radical devolution of power and further autonomy to Punjab.<ref>{{citation|last=Singh|first=Khushwant|title=A History of the Sikhs: Volume 2: 1839–2004|year=2004|chapter=The Anandpur Sahib Resolution and Other Akali Demands|publisher=Oxford University Press|doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195673098.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19-567309-8}}</ref> The resolution document included both religious and political issues, asking for the recognition of Sikhism as a religion separate from Hinduism, as well as the transfer of [[Chandigarh]] and certain other areas to Punjab. It also demanded that power be radically devolved from the central to state governments.<ref name="Jayanta484">{{citation|last1=Ray|first1=Jayanta Kumar|title=Aspects of India's International Relations, 1700 to 2000: South Asia and the World|date=2007|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nyk6oA2nOlgC&q=khalistan|page=484|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=978-81-317-0834-7}}</ref>

Davinder Singh Parmar migrated to London in 1954. According to Parmar, his first pro-Khalistan meeting was attended by less than 20 people and he was labelled as a madman, receiving only one person's support. Parmar continued his efforts despite the lack of following, eventually raising the Khalistani flag in [[Birmingham]] in the 1970s.{{sfnp|Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies|2005|p=135}} In 1969, two years after losing the Punjab Assembly elections, Indian politician [[Jagjit Singh Chohan]] moved to the [[United Kingdom]] to start his campaign for the creation of Khalistan.<ref name="NYT_Chohan_Dies">{{cite news|last=Pandya|first=Haresh|date=11 April 2007|title=Jagjit Singh Chauhan, Sikh Militant Leader in India, Dies at 80|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/11/world/asia/11chauhan.html}}</ref> Chohan's proposal included Punjab, Himachal, Haryana, as well as some parts of [[Rajasthan]].<ref name=":2">{{harvp|Axel, The Nation's Tortured Body|2011|pp=101–}}</ref>

Following the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]], Chohan visited [[Pakistan]] as a guest of such leaders as [[Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi|Chaudhuri Zahoor Elahi]]. Visiting [[Nankana Sahib]] and several historical gurdwaras in Pakistan, Chohan utilized the opportunity to spread the notion of an independent Sikh state. Widely publicized by Pakistani press, the extensive coverage of his remarks introduced the international community, including those in India, to the demand of Khalistan for the first time. Though lacking public support, the term ''Khalistan'' became more and more recognizable.{{sfnp|Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies|2005|p=135}} According to Chohan, during a talk with Prime Minister [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]] of Pakistan, Bhutto had proposed to make Nankana Sahib the capital of Khalistan.<ref name="ChohanIT">{{cite news|last1=Gupta|first1=Shekhar|last2=Subramanian|first2=Nirupaman|date=15 December 1993|title=You can't get Khalistan through military movement: Jagat Singh Chouhan|language=en|work=India Today|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/interview/story/19931215-you-cant-get-khalistan-through-military-movement-says-jagat-singh-chouhan-811922-1993-12-15|access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref>

==== Khalistan National Council ====

After returning to India in 1977, Chohan travelled to Britain in 1979. There, he would establish the [[Khalistan National Council]],<ref>{{cite news |first=Jo |last=Thomas |title=London Sikh Assumes Role of Exile Chief |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/14/world/london-sikh-assumes-role-of-exile-chief.html |work=The New York Times |date=14 June 1984 |language=en}}</ref> declaring its formation at [[Anandpur Sahib]] on 12 April 1980. Chohan designated himself as President of the Council and Balbir Singh Sandhu as its Secretary General.

 

According to a New York Times article written just a few weeks after the operation, "Before the raid on the Golden Temple, neither the Government nor anyone else appeared to put much credence in the Khalistan movement. Mr. Bhindranwale himself said many times that he was not seeking an independent country for Sikhs, merely greater autonomy for Punjab within the Indian Union....One possible explanation advanced for the Government's raising of the Khalistan question is that it needs to take every opportunity to justify the killing in Amritsar and the invasion of the Sikhs' holiest shrine."<ref name=stevens>{{cite news |last1=Stevens |first1=William K. |title=Punjab Raid: Unanswered Questions |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/19/world/punjab-raid-unanswered-questions.html |access-date=12 June 2021 |work=The News York Times |publisher=The New York Times Company |date=19 June 1984 }}</ref>

The Akali leaders, having planned to announce a victory for Dharam Yudh Morcha, were outraged by the changes to the agreed-upon settlement. In November 1982, Akali leader [[Harchand Singh Longowal]] announced that the party would disrupt the [[1982 Asian Games|9th annual Asian Games]] by sending groups of Akali workers to Delhi to intentionally get arrested. Following negotiations between the Akali Dal and the government failed at the last moment due to disagreements regarding the transfer of areas between Punjab and Haryana.<ref name="JSChima">{{citation|last1=Chima|first1=Jugdep S|title=The Sikh Separatist Insurgency in India: Political Leadership and Ethnonationalist Movements|date=2008|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qJaHAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA72|pages=71–75|place=India|publisher=Sage Publications|isbn=978-81-321-0538-1}}</ref>

Widespread murders by followers of Bhindranwale occurred in 1980s' Punjab. Armed Khalistani militants of this period described themselves as ''kharku'',<ref name="Kharku">{{citation|last1=Stepan|first1=Alfred |first2=Juan J.|last2= Linz|first3=Yogendra|last3=Yadav|title=Crafting State-Nations: India and Other Multinational Democracies|date=2011|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kGUuOdeCiXQC&q=Kharku&pg=PA97|page=97|edition=Illustrated|publisher=JHU Press|isbn=978-0-8018-9723-8}}</ref> most likely meaning 'noise maker,' from the Punjabi ''kharaka'' ('noise') in reference to their strident activity. In the period between 4 August 1982 and 3 June 1984, more than 1200 violent incidents took place, resulting in the death of 410 people and the injury of 1180.

On its own, the year 1984 (from 1 January to 3 June) saw 775 violent incidents, resulting in 298 people killed and 525 injured.<ref name="Ghosh">Ghosh, Srikanta. 1997. ''Indian Democracy Derailed – Politics and Politicians.'' APH Publishing. {{ISBN|978-81-7024-866-8}}. p. 95.</ref> One such murder was that of [[Deputy inspector general of police#India|DIG]] [[A. S. Atwal|Avtar Singh Atwal]], killed on 25 April 1983 at the gate of the [[Golden Temple|Darbar Sahib]],<ref name="Atwal_Martyr">{{cite web|title=Martyr's Gallery|url=http://www.punjabpolice.gov.in/Martyrgallery.aspx|date=2015|website=Punjab Police|publisher=Government of India|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321231817/http://punjabpolice.gov.in/Martyrgallery.aspx|archive-date=21 March 2017|access-date=7 June 2018}}</ref> whose corpse remained at the place of death for 2 hours as even police officers were afraid to touch the body without Bhindranwale's permission. This showed the power and influence that Bhindranwale had over the region.<ref name="youtube.com">{{Citation|title=Pradhanmantri - Episode 14: Operation Blue Star and the assassination of Indira Gandhi &#124; ABP News|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v&#61;gJW1VfQtkaI|language=en|access-date=2023-01-14}}</ref><ref name="DasKratcoski2003">{{Cite book|last1=Das|first1=Dilip K.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oA_7jvsaBzYC&pg=PA75|title=Meeting the Challenges of Global Terrorism: Prevention, Control, and Recovery|last2=Kratcoski|first2=Peter C.|date=2002|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=978-0-7391-0499-6|language=en}}</ref>

Though it was common knowledge that those responsible for such bombings and murders were taking shelter in [[gurdwara]]s, the [[Indian National Congress|INC]] [[Government of India]] declared that it could not enter these places of worship, for the fear of hurting Sikh sentiments.<ref name="Akshay1991" /> Even as detailed reports on the open shipping of arms-laden trucks were sent to [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]] [[Indira Gandhi]], the Government would choose not to take action.<ref name="Akshay1991" /> Finally, following the murder of six Hindu bus passengers in October 1983, an emergency rule was imposed in Punjab, which would continue for more than a decade.<ref name="GusMartin2011">Sisson, Mary. 2011. "Sikh Terrorism." pp. 544–545 in ''The Sage Encyclopedia of Terrorism'' (2nd ed.), edited by G. Martin. Thousand Oaks, CA: [[SAGE Publishing|Sage Publications]]. {{ISBN|978-1-4129-8016-6}}. {{doi|10.4135/9781412980173.n368}}.</ref>

The Akali Dal began more agitation in February 1984, protesting against Article 25, clause (2)(b), of the [[Constitution of India|Indian Constitution]], which ambiguously explains that "the reference to Hindus shall be construed as including a reference to persons professing the Sikh, [[Jainism|Jaina]], or [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] religion," while also implicitly recognizing Sikhism as a separate religion: "the wearing and carrying of [[Kirpan|kripans]] [''[[sic]]''] shall be deemed to be included in the profession of the Sikh religion."<ref name=":3">Sharma, Mool Chand, and A.K. Sharma, eds. 2004. "[https://nhrc.nic.in/sites/default/files/discriminationsexcastereligion.pdf#page=122 Discrimination Based on Religion]." pp. 108–110 in ''Discrimination Based on Sex, Caste, Religion, and Disability''. New Delhi: [[National Council for Teacher Education]]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20100602202700/http://nhrc.nic.in/Publications/documents/chapter5.htm Archived] from the original on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 17 May 2020.</ref>{{Rp|109}} Even today, this clause is deemed offensive by many religious minorities in India due to its failure to recognise such religions separately under the constitution.<ref name=":3" />

[[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>

In July 1983, [[Shiromani Akali Dal|Akali Dal]] President [[Harchand Singh Longowal]] had invited Bhindranwale to take up residence at the sacred temple complex,<ref>Singh, Khushwant. 2004. ''A History of the Sikhs, Volume II: 1839–2004''. New Delhi: [[Oxford University Press]]. p. 337.</ref> which the government would allege that Bhindranwale would later make into an [[arsenal|armoury]] and headquarters for his armed uprising.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Operation Bluestar - 05 June 1984 - Bharat Rakshak - Indian Army & Land Forces|url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/ARMY/history/siachen/283-Operation-Bluestar.html|access-date=2023-01-14|website=www.bharat-rakshak.com}}</ref><ref name="LA_accord">{{cite news|date=21 August 1985|title=Sikh Leader in Punjab Accord Assassinated|newspaper=LA Times|agency=Times Wire Services|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1985-08-21/news/mn-1021_1_sikh-militants}}</ref>

Since the inception of the Dharam Yudh Morcha to the violent events leading up to Operation Blue Star, Khalistani militants had directly killed 165 [[Hindus]] and [[Nirankari]]s, as well as 39 Sikhs opposed to Bhindranwale, while a total of 410 dead and 1,180 injured came as result of Khalistani violence and riots.<ref name="ms_casualty_terror">{{Cite book|last1=Tully|first1=Mark|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bxhuAAAAMAAJ&q=editions:drN_lbMXXJMC|title=Amritsar: Mrs Gandhi's Last Battle|last2=Jacob|first2=Satish|date=1985|publisher=J. Cape|isbn=978-0-224-02328-3|language=en}}</ref>

</ref> Along with the Army, the operation would involve [[Central Reserve Police Force]], [[Border Security Force]], and [[Punjab Police (India)|Punjab Police]]. Army units led by [[Lieutenant general|Lt. Gen.]] [[Kuldip Singh Brar]] (a Sikh), surrounded the temple complex on 3 June 1984. Just before the commencement of the operation, Lt. Gen. Brar addressed the soldiers:<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|last1=Gates|first1=Professor Scott|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VWN6BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA163|title=Unconventional Warfare in South Asia: Shadow Warriors and Counterinsurgency|last2=Roy|first2=Dr Kaushik|date=2014-02-04|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-1-4094-3706-2|language=en}}</ref>

{{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=}}

Nothing happened until 7:00 PM ([[Indian Standard Time|IST]]).<ref name="rediff_interview_limit">{{cite web|title=There is a limit to how much a country can take|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/jun/04inter1.htm|last=Diwanji|first=Amberish K.|date=4 June 2004|work=The Rediff Interview/Lieutenant General Kuldip Singh Brar (retired)|publisher=[[Rediff.com]]}}</ref> The Army, equipped with [[tank]]s and heavy [[artillery]], had grossly underestimated the firepower possessed by the militants, who attacked with [[Anti-tank warfare|anti-tank]] and [[Machine gun|machine-gun]] fire from the heavily fortified [[Akal Takht]], and who possessed Chinese-made, [[Rocket-propelled grenade|rocket-propelled grenade launchers]] with [[Armor-piercing shell|armour-piercing]] capabilities. After a 24-hour [[shootout]], the army finally wrested control of the temple complex.

Bhindranwale was killed in the operation, while many of his followers managed to escape. Army casualty figures counted 83 dead and 249 injured.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Punjab|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070320/punjab1.htm|access-date=2023-01-14|website=www.tribuneindia.com}}</ref> Although Rajiv Gandhi would later admit that over 700 Indian soldiers died. <ref name="Chima2008">{{cite book|author=Jugdep S Chima|title=The Sikh Separatist Insurgency in India: Political Leadership and Ethnonationalist Movements|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sxpBDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT114|date=2008|publisher=Sage Publishing India|isbn=978-9351509530|pages=114–}}</ref>According to the official estimate presented by the Indian Government, the event resulted in a combined total of 493 militant and civilian casualties, as well as the apprehension of 1592 individuals.<ref name="WhitePaper1984">{{Cite book|last=India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wqSAngEACAAJ&q=493|title=White Paper on the Punjab Agitation|date=1984|publisher=Government of India Press, Minto Road|language=en}}</ref> Independent estimates say over 5,000 civilians and only 200 militants.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Karim |first1=Afsir |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QoqwQb38SQEC |title=Counter Terrorism, the Pakistan Factor |date=1991 |publisher=Lancer Publishers |isbn=978-8170621270 |pages=33–36}}</ref>

[[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.

"The FCO files (Annex E) record the Indian Intelligence Co-ordinator telling a UK interlocutor, in the same time-frame as this public Indian report, that some time after the UK military adviser’s visit the Indian Army took over lead responsibility for the operation, the main concept behind the operation changed, and a frontal assault was attempted, which contributed to the large number of casualties on both sides."</ref><ref group="lower-roman">"[https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-26027631 Golden Temple attack: UK advised India but impact 'limited']." ''[[BBC News]]''. 7 June 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2020.

"The adviser suggested using an element of surprise, as well as helicopters, to try to keep casualty numbers low – features which were not part of the final operation, Mr Hague said."</ref> Opponents of Gandhi also criticised the operation for its excessive use of force. Lieutenant General Brar later stated that the Government had "no other recourse" due to a "complete breakdown" of the situation: state machinery was under the militants' control; declaration of Khalistan was imminent; and [[Pakistan]] would have come into the picture declaring its support for Khalistan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/jun/03inter.htm |title=Pakistan would have recognised Khalistan |work=Rediff.com |date=3 June 2004}}</ref>

According to the [[Mitrokhin Archive]], in 1982 the Soviets used a recruit in the New Delhi residency named “Agent S” who was close to Indira Gandhi as a major channel for providing her disinformation regarding Khalistan. Agent S provided Indira Gandhi with false documents purporting to show Pakistani involvement to create religious disturbances and allegedly initiate a Khalistan conspiracy. After [[Rajiv Gandhi]]'s visit to Moscow in 1983, the Soviets persuaded him that the US was engaged in secret support for the Sikhs. By 1984, according to Mitrokhin, the disinformation the Soviets provided had influenced Indira Gandhi to pursue Operation Blue Star.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Andrew |first1=Christopher M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QoclAQAAMAAJ |title=The Mitrokhin Archive II: The KGB and the World |last2=Mitrokhin |first2=Vasili |date=2005 |publisher=Allen Lane |isbn=978-0-7139-9359-2 |pages=336 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Andrew |first=Christopher |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nn2oJQAACAAJ |title=The World Was Going Our Way: The KGB and the Battle for the Third World |date=2008 |publisher=DIANE Publishing Company |isbn=978-1-4223-9312-3 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Swamy19922">{{cite book |author=Subramanian Swamy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wQBIAAAAMAAJ |title=Building a New India: An Agenda for National Renaissance |publisher=UBS Publishers' Distributors |year=1992 |isbn=978-81-85674-21-6 |page=18 |quote=The 1984 Operation Bluestar became necessary because of the vast disinformation against Sant Bhindranwale by the KGB, and repeated inside Parliament by the Congress Party of India.}}</ref>

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.

Also available via [https://ruralindiaonline.org/library/resource/report-of-the-justice-nanavati-commission-of-inquiry-1984-anti-sikh-riots-volumes-i-and-ii/ People's Archive of Rural India].</ref><ref name="tehelka_fish">{{cite news|date=25 August 2005|title=What about the big fish?|work=Tehelka|publisher=Anant Media|url=http://www.tehelka.com/story_main13.asp?filename=Ne082005_What_about.asp|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120913061657/http://www.tehelka.com/story_main13.asp?filename=Ne082005_What_about.asp|archive-date=13 September 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref> [[Union Council of Ministers|Union Minister]] [[Kamal Nath]] was accused of leading riots near [[Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib|Rakab Ganj]], but was cleared due to lack of evidence.<ref name="tehelka_fish" /> Other political parties strongly condemned the riots.<ref>Singh, Swadesh Bahadur. 31 May 1996. "Cabinet berth for a Sikh." ''[[The Indian Express|Indian Express]].''</ref> Two major civil-liberties organisations issued a joint report on the anti-Sikh riots, naming 16 significant politicians, 13 police officers, and 198 others, accused by survivors and eyewitnesses.<ref>Kumar, Ram Narayan, et al. 2003. ''[[Reduced to Ashes (book)|Reduced to Ashes: The Insurgency and Human Rights in Punjab]]''. [[South Asia Forum for Human Rights]]. p. 43.

The Indian Government pointed to the involvement of a "foreign hand," referring to Pakistan’s abetting of the movement. Punjab noted to the Indian Government that militants were able to obtain sophisticated arms through sources outside the country and by developing links with sources within the country.<ref name=":1" /> As such, the Government believed that large illegal flows of arms were flowing through the borders of India, with Pakistan being responsible for trafficking arms. India claimed that Pakistan provided sanctuary, arms, money, and moral support to the militants, though most of the accusations were based on circumstantial evidence.<ref name=":1" />

[[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]].

The main suspects in the bombing were members of a [[Sikh]] separatist group called the [[Babbar Khalsa]], and other related groups who were at the time agitating for a separate Sikh state of Khalistan in [[Punjab, India]]. In September 2007, the Canadian Commission of Inquiry investigated reports, initially disclosed in the Indian investigative news magazine ''[[Tehelka]]'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Free. Fair. Fearless|url=http://www.tehelka.com/story_main33.asp?filename=Ne040807operation_silence.asp|publisher=Tehelka|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912212106/http://www.tehelka.com/story_main33.asp?filename=Ne040807operation_silence.asp|archive-date=12 September 2012}}</ref> that a hitherto unnamed person, [[Lakhbir Singh Rode]], had masterminded the explosions. However, in conclusion two separate Canadian inquiries officially determined that the mastermind behind the terrorist operation was in fact the Canadian, [[Talwinder Singh Parmar]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=15 March 2018|title=Jagmeet Singh now rejects glorification of Air India bombing mastermind|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/jagmeet-singh-air-india-bombing-accepts-1.4578030|website=CBC News}}</ref>

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>

On 29 April 1986, an assembly of separatist Sikhs at the [[Akal Takht]] made a declaration of an independent state of Khalistan,<ref>{{cite web|title=Sarbat Khalsa and Gurmata|url=http://www.sikhnet.com/news/sarbat-khalsa-and-gurmata|last=Singh|first=I.|website=SikhNet|date=10 July 2012|access-date=15 March 2013}}</ref> and a number of rebel militant groups in favour of Khalistan subsequently [[Insurgency in Punjab|waged a major insurgency]] against the [[Government of India]]. A decade of violence and conflict in Punjab would follow before a return to normality in the region. This period of insurgency saw clashes of Sikh militants with the police, as well as with the [[Nirankari]]s, a mystical Sikh sect who are less conservative in their aims to reform Sikhism.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nirankari.org/|title=Sant Nirankari Mission|website=www.nirankari.org}}</ref>

The Khalistani militant activities manifested in the form of [[List of terrorist incidents in Punjab (India)|several attacks]], such as the [[1987 Lalru bus massacre|1987 massacre of 32 Hindu bus passengers]] near [[Lalru]], and the [[1991 Punjab killings|1991 killing of 80 train passengers]] in [[Ludhiana]].<ref>"Gunmen Slaughter 32 on Bus in India in Bloodiest Attack of Sikh Campaign". [[The Philadelphia Inquirer]], 7 July 1987. Page A03.</ref> Such activities continued on into the 1990s as the perpetrators of the 1984 riots remained unpunished, while many Sikhs also felt that they were being discriminated against and that their religious rights were being suppressed.<ref name="nytenvoy">{{cite news|last=Gargan|first=Edward|date=10 October 1991|title=Envoy of Romania Abducted in India|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/10/world/envoy-of-romania-abducted-in-india.html}}</ref>

Indian security forces suppressed the insurgency in the early 1990s, while Sikh political groups such as the [[Khalsa Raj Party]] and [[Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar)|SAD (A)]] continued to pursue an independent Khalistan through non-violent means.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA200022003?open&of=ENG-IND |title=Amnesty International report on Punjab |publisher=Amnesty International |date=20 January 2003 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20061203184445/http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA200022003?open&of=ENG-IND |archive-date = 3 December 2006}}</ref><ref name="tribuneindia2006">{{cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060310/punjab1.htm#2 |title=The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – Punjab |publisher=Tribuneindia.com |access-date=2015-09-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/22588/38/ |title=SAD (A) to contest the coming SGPC elections on Khalistan issue: Mann |publisher=PunjabNewsline.com |date=14 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715132020/http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/22588/38/ |archive-date=15 July 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Whereas to take iron from the terrorists in the village Bhikhiwind, district Tarn Taran 'Sandhu' family fought everyday like the last day and defeated terrorists several times. One such incident was on 30 September 1990, when about 200 terrorists attacked Balwinder Singh's house. In retaliation, the Sandhu family using weapons provided by state police killed several and compiled the rest of the terrorists to run away.  The Family awarded the [[Shaurya Chakra]] to show most conspicuous bravery, indomitable courage.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Balwinder Singh Sandu {{!}} Gallantry Awards|url=https://www.gallantryawards.gov.in/Awardee/balwinder-singh-sandhu|access-date=2020-10-29|website=www.gallantryawards.gov.in}}</ref>

In August 1991, [[Julio Ribeiro (Indian police officer)|Julio Ribeiro]], then-Indian Ambassador to [[Romania]], was attacked and wounded at [[Bucharest]] in an assassination attempt by gunmen identified as [[Punjab (India)|Punjabi]] Sikhs.<ref name="Latshot">{{cite news|date=21 August 1991|title=Gunmen Wound India Ambassador|work=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|url=http://articles.latimes.com/keyword/india-foreign-relations-romania}}</ref><ref name="nytenvoy" /> Sikh groups also claimed responsibility for the 1991 kidnapping of [[Liviu Radu]], the Romanian [[chargé d'affaires]] in New Delhi. This appeared to be in retaliation for Romanian arrests of [[Khalistan Liberation Force]] members suspected of the attempted assassination of Ribeiro.<ref name="nytenvoy" /><ref name="TIME">{{Cite web|date=2007-09-30|title=World Notes India - TIME|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,974111,00.html|access-date=2023-01-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930063744/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,974111,00.html |archive-date=30 September 2007 }}</ref> Radu was released unharmed after Sikh politicians criticised the action.<ref>{{Cite web|title=sikhsentinel.com|url=http://ww38.sikhsentinel.com/sikhsentinel0309/harpalsingh1.htm|access-date=2023-01-14|website=ww38.sikhsentinel.com}}</ref>

From 24 January 1993 to 4 August 1993, Khalistan was a member of the [[NGO]] [[Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization]]. The membership was permanently suspended on 22 January 1995.<ref name="UNPO_yearbook_Khalistan">{{cite book|last1=Simmons|first1=Mary Kate|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rWB3Bv3vuyMC&q=Khalistan%20Unrepresented%20Nations%20and%20Peoples%20Organisation&pg=PA187|title=Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization: yearbook|publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers|year=1998|isbn=978-90-411-0223-2|page=187|access-date=3 August 2018}}</ref>

There have been serious charges levelled by human rights activists against Indian Security forces (headed by Sikh police officer, [[Kanwar Pal Singh Gill|K. P. S. Gill]]), claiming that thousands of suspects were killed in staged shootouts and thousands of bodies were cremated/disposed of without proper identification or post-mortems.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hrw.org/reports/2007/india1007/1.htm |title=Protecting the Killers: A Policy of Impunity in Punjab, India: I. Summary |publisher=Human Rights Watch |date=9 October 2006 |access-date=11 January 2010}}</ref><ref>[http://news.sbs.com.au/dateline/india__who_killed_the_sikhs_130052 Special Broadcasting Service:: Dateline – presented by George Negus<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828164401/http://news.sbs.com.au/dateline/india__who_killed_the_sikhs_130052 |date=28 August 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/2005/09/09/stories/2005090903181100.htm |title=The Hindu: Opinion / News Analysis: Is justice possible without looking for the truth? |work=The Hindu |date=9 September 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080522062426/http://www.hinduonnet.com/2005/09/09/stories/2005090903181100.htm |archive-date=22 May 2008 |url-status=usurped |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?lang=e&id=F072BE8A8A0506C08025690000692C86 |title=India: A vital opportunity to end impunity in Punjab |publisher=Amnesty International USA |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090625031306/http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=F072BE8A8A0506C08025690000692C86&lang=e |archive-date=25 June 2009 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> [[Human Rights Watch]] reported that, since 1984, government forces had resorted to widespread human rights violations to fight the militants, including: [[Arbitrary arrest and detention|arbitrary arrest]], [[Indefinite detention|prolonged detention without trial]], [[torture]], and [[summary execution]]s of civilians and suspected militants. Family members were frequently detained and tortured to reveal the whereabouts of relatives sought by the police.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/1992/WR92/ASW-07.htm |title=ASW |publisher=Hrw.org |year=1992 |access-date=11 January 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2007-10-18|title=India: Time to Deliver Justice for Atrocities in Punjab|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2007/10/18/india-time-deliver-justice-atrocities-punjab|access-date=2023-01-14|website=Human Rights Watch|language=en}}</ref> [[Amnesty International]] has alleged several cases of disappearances, torture, rape, and unlawful detentions by the police during the [[Punjab insurgency]], for which 75–100 police officers had been convicted by December 2002.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA20/002/2003/en/uvSEW2lMY-gJ |title=Document – India: Break the cycle of impunity and torture in Punjab &#124; Amnesty International |publisher=Amnesty International |year=2003 |access-date=11 January 2010}}</ref>

Present-day activities by Khalistani militants include the [[Tarn Taran Sahib|Tarn Taran]] blast, in which a police crackdown arrested 4 terrorists, one of whom revealed they were ordered by [[Sikhs for Justice]] to kill multiple Dera leaders in India.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/punjab-four-khalistan-zindabad-force-terrorists-arrested-in-taran-taran-1602155-2019-09-23|title=Punjab: Four Khalistan Zindabad Force terrorists arrested in Taran Taran|first=Manjeet|last=Sehgal|date=September 23, 2019|website=India Today|language=en|access-date=2019-12-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/nia-demands-custody-of-4-in-tarn-taran-blast-case-872611|title=NIA demands custody of 4 in Tarn Taran blast case|last=Service|first=Tribune News|website=Tribuneindia News Service|language=en|access-date=2019-12-27}}</ref> Pro-Khalistan organisations such as [[Dal Khalsa (International)|Dal Khalsa]] are also active outside India, supported by a section of the Sikh diaspora.<ref>{{cite news|last=Punj|first=Balbair|date=16 June 2005|title=The Ghost of Khalistan|newspaper=Sikh Times|url=http://www.sikhtimes.com/news_061605a.html}}</ref> As of 25 December, there also have been inputs by multiple agencies about a possible attack in Punjab by Babbar Khalsa and [[Khalistan Zindabad Force]], according to Indian Media sources, are allegedly in contact with their Pakistani handlers and are trying to smuggle arms across the border.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-terror-attacks-in-punjab-being-planned-by-pro-khalistan-outfits-with-pak-s-support-intelligence-sources-2806891|title=Terror attacks in Punjab being planned by pro-Khalistan outfits with Pak's support: Intelligence sources|date=2019-12-26|website=DNA India|language=en|access-date=2019-12-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oneindia.com/india/high-alert-declared-after-ib-picks-up-intercepts-on-possible-terror-attack-in-punjab-3003706.html|title=High alert declared after IB picks up intercepts on possible terror attack in Punjab|last=Nanjappa|first=Vicky|date=2019-12-26|website=Oneindia|language=en|access-date=2019-12-27}}</ref>

In November 2015, a congregation of the Sikh community (i.e. a [[Sarbat Khalsa]]) was called in response to recent unrest in the Punjab region. The Sarbat Khalsa adopted 13 resolutions to strengthen Sikh institutions and traditions. The 12th resolution reaffirmed the resolutions adopted by the Sarbat Khalsa in 1986, including the declaration of the sovereign state of Khalistan.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Official Resolutions From Sarbat Khalsa 2015|url=https://www.sikh24.com/2015/11/11/official-resolutions-from-sarbat-khalsa-2015/|website=Sikh24.com|date=11 November 2015|access-date=2015-11-12}}</ref>

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" />

Recently, many signs have been raised in several places in support of the Khalistan movement, although the [[Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada]] (IRCC) reports that Sikhs who support Khalistan may themselves be detained and tortured.<ref>{{cite web|title=Responses to Information Requests|url=https://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/en/country-information/rir/Pages/index.aspx?doc=455887&pls=1|date=5 June 2018|website=irb-cisr.gc.ca|language=en|access-date=14 August 2019}}</ref> Notably, on the 31st anniversary of [[Operation Bluestar]], pro-Khalistan signs were raised in Punjab, resulting in 25 Sikh youths being detained by police.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pro-Khalistan slogans raised on Bluestar anniversary in Punjab|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/481914/pro-khalistan-slogans-raised-bluestar.html|date=6 June 2015|website=Deccan Herald}}</ref> Pro-Khalistan signs were also raised during a function of [[List of chief ministers of Punjab, India|Punjabi Chief Minister]] [[Parkash Singh Badal]]. Two members of SAD-A, identified as Sarup Singh Sandha and Rajindr Singh Channa, raised pro-Khalistan and anti-Badal signs during the chief minister's speech.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pro-Khalistan slogans raised during Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal's function|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/punjab-and-haryana/pro-khalistan-slogans-raised-during-punjab-cm-parkash-singh-badals-function/|date=26 July 2015|website=The Indian Express}}</ref>

* Lack of a clear political concept of 'Khalistan' even to the extremist supporters. As per Kumar (1997), the name which was wishful thinking only represented their revulsion against the Indian establishment and did not find any alternative to it.<ref name="Kumar_book">{{citation|last=Kumar|first=Ram Narayan|title=The Sikh unrest and the Indian state: politics, personalities, and historical retrospective|year= 1997|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WD9uAAAAMAAJ|publisher=Ajanta|isbn=978-81-202-0453-9}}  quoted in [http://www.rediff.com/news/feb/22sikh.htm Rediff On the Net]</ref>

* The increased vigilance by security forces in the region against rise of separatist elements.<ref name="HT_Period">{{cite news|date=19 March 2016|title=No chance of another Khalistan movement in Punjab: Defence experts|newspaper=Hindustan Times|agency=ANI|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/no-chance-of-another-khalistan-movement-in-punjab-defence-experts/story-o9MSyS8jNS79kQo9cNIGHP.html}}</ref>

Simrat Dhillon (2007), writing for the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, noted that while a few groups continued to fight, "the movement has lost its popular support both in India and within the Diaspora community."<ref name="SikhDiaspora">{{cite web|title=The Sikh Diaspora and the Quest for Khalistan: A Search for Statehood or for Self-preservation?|url=http://www.ipcs.org/issue_briefs/issue_brief_pdf/1787132181IPCS-ResearchPaper12-SimratDhillon.pdf|last=Dhillon|first=Simrat|date=December 2007|publisher=Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies|access-date=26 May 2009}}</ref>

There are several militant Sikh groups, such as the Khalistan Council, that are currently functional and provides organization and guidance to the Sikh community. Multiple groups are organized across the world, coordinating their military efforts for Khalistan. Such groups were most active in 1980s and early 1990s, and have since receded in activity. These groups are largely defunct in India but they still have a political presence among the Sikh diaspora, especially in countries such as Pakistan where they are not prescribed by law.{{sfnp|Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies|2005|p=133}}

** Listed as a terrorist organisation in the [[European Union]],<ref name="EU_terror_list">{{cite web |url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2005/l_144/l_14420050608en00540058.pdf |title=Council Common Position 2005/427/CFSP of 6 June 2005 updating Common Position 2001/931/CFSP on the application of specific measures to combat terrorism and repealing Common Position 2005/220/CFSP |date=6 June 2005 |publisher=European Union |page=5 |access-date=31 May 2009}}</ref> Canada,<ref name="psepc.gc.ca">{{cite web |url=http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/prg/ns/le/cle-en.asp#bkbki13 |title=Currently listed entities (terrorist organizations-ed) |publisher=Public Safety Canada |access-date=31 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090626183402/http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/prg/ns/le/cle-en.asp#bkbki13 |archive-date=26 June 2009 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> India,<ref name="cbcca-extremism" /> and UK.<ref name="cbcca-extremism">{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/sikh-politics-canada/index.html |title=Sikh politics in Canada. Symbols and suits. Sikh extremism enters mainstream Canadian politics |last=Milewski |first=Terry |date=28 June 2007 |publisher=CBC}}</ref><ref name="UKBKlisting">{{cite web |url=http://security.homeoffice.gov.uk/legislation/current-legislation/terrorism-act-2000/proscribed-groups |title=Proscribed terrorist groups |publisher=UK Office for Security and Counter Terrorism |access-date=24 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615073011/http://security.homeoffice.gov.uk/legislation/current-legislation/terrorism-act-2000/proscribed-groups |archive-date=15 June 2009 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

** Included in the [[United States Department of State list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations|Terrorist Exclusion List]] of the U.S. Government in 2004.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-05-13|title=Terrorist Exclusion List|url=http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/other/des/123086.htm|access-date=2023-01-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090513211402/http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/other/des/123086.htm |archive-date=13 May 2009 }}</ref>

** 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>

** 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>

** Formed by the [[Sarbat Khalsa]] in 1986.<ref name="encycloextreme">{{citation |last=Atkins |first=Stephen E. |title=Encyclopedia of modern worldwide extremists and extremist groups |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |page=404 |year=2004 |edition=illustrated |isbn=978-0-313-32485-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b8k4rEPvq_8C |access-date=26 June 2009}}</ref> It does not figure in the list of terrorist organisations declared by the [[United States Department of State|U.S. Department of State]] (DOS).<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-05-13|title=Foreign Terrorist Organizations|url=http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/other/des/123085.htm|access-date=2023-01-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090513211359/http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/other/des/123085.htm |archive-date=13 May 2009 }}</ref>

** 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" />

** Believed to be responsible for several bombings of civilian targets in India during the 1980s and 1990s,<ref name="1995patterns">{{cite web|title=1995 Patterns of Global Terrorism|url=https://fas.org/irp/threat/terror_95/terasi.htm#India|last=Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism|date=April 1996|publisher=fas.org|access-date=30 May 2009}}</ref><ref name="CNN96may22">{{Cite web|title=CNN - Indian bus explodes, at least 14 dead - May 22, 1996|url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9605/22/india.bomb/index.html|access-date=2023-01-14|website=www.cnn.com}}</ref> sometimes in conjunction with [[Islamism|Islamist]] [[Kashmir conflict|Kashmir separatists]].<ref name="CNN96may21">{{Cite web|title=CNN - Fatal bomb meant to disrupt - April 21, 1996|url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9604/21/india.bomb/index.html|access-date=2023-01-14|website=www.cnn.com}}</ref>

** Last major suspected activity was a bomb blast in 2006 at the [[Inter State Bus Terminals|Inter-State Bus Terminus]] in [[Jalandhar]].<ref>{{cite news|date=19 June 2006|title=KZF behind Jalandhar blasts|work=The Indian Express|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/kzf-behind-jalandhar-blasts/6802/}}</ref>

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>

In 1999, [[Kuldip Nayar]], writing for [[Rediff.com]], stated in an article, titled "It is fundamentalism again", that the Sikh "masses" had rejected terrorists.<ref name="rediffeject">{{cite news |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/1999/feb/22nayar.htm |title=It is fundamentalism again |last=Nayar |first=Kuldip |date=22 February 1999 |work=Rediff.com}}</ref>

Reported in his paper, titled "From Bhindranwale to Bin Laden: Understanding Religious Violence", Director [[Mark Juergensmeyer]] of the Orfalea Centre for Global & International Studies, [[University of California, Santa Barbara|UCSB]], interviewed a militant who said that "the movement is over," as many of his colleagues had been killed, imprisoned, or driven into hiding, and because public support was gone.<ref name="dubiousreference1">{{cite web |url=http://juergensmeyer.com/files/ASU%20volume-%2006CHAP02_JUERGENSMEYER.pdf |title=From Bhindranwale to Bin Laden: Understanding Religious Violence |last=Juergensmeyer |first=Mark |date=14 October 2004 |publisher=Self |page=30 |access-date=26 May 2009}}</ref>

In 1993, Khalistan was briefly admitted in the [[Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization]], but was suspended in a few months. The membership suspension was made permanent on 22 January 1995.<ref>{{citation|last1=Downing|first1=John D. H.|title=Encyclopedia of Social Movement Media|date=2011|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OSkKAOoaSGIC|page=290|publisher=Sage|isbn=978-0-7619-2688-7}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last1=Simmons |first1=Mary Kate |title=Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization: yearbook |publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers |isbn=978-90-411-0223-2 |page=187 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rWB3Bv3vuyMC&q=Khalistan%20Unrepresented%20Nations%20and%20Peoples%20Organisation&pg=PA187|year=1998 }}</ref>

General [[Zia-ul Haq]], who succeeded Bhutto as the Head of State, attempted to reverse the traditional antipathy between Sikhs and Muslims arising from the [[Partition of India|partition violence]] by restoring Sikh shrines in Pakistan and opening them for Sikh pilgrimage. The expatriate Sikhs from England and North America that visited these shrines were at the forefront of the calls for Khalistan. During the pilgrims' stay in Pakistan, the Sikhs were exposed to Khalistani propaganda, which would not be openly possible in India.{{sfnp|Haqqani, Pakistan Between the Mosque and Military|2010|pp=270–271}}{{sfnp|Sirrs, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate|2016|p=167}}{{sfnp|Fair, Diaspora Involvement in Insurgencies|2005|p=133}}  

In 2006, an American court convicted Khalid Awan, a Muslim and Canadian of Pakistani descent, of "''supporting terrorism''" by providing money and financial services to the Khalistan Commando Force chief Paramjit Singh Panjwar in Pakistan.<ref name="KCFconvict">{{cite web |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao/nye/pr/2006/2006Dec20.html |title=U.S. Court Convicts Khalid Awan for Supporting Khalistan Commando Force |date=20 December 2006 |publisher=The United States Attorney's Office |access-date=26 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120115092626/http://www.justice.gov/usao/nye/pr/2006/2006Dec20.html |archive-date=15 January 2012 }}</ref> KCF members had carried out deadly attacks against Indian civilians causing thousands of deaths. Awan frequently travelled to Pakistan and was alleged by the U.S. officials with links to Sikh and Muslim extremists, as well as Pakistani intelligence.<ref name="theglobeandmail">{{cite news |title=Canadian gets 14 years for funding terrorists |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/canadian-gets-14-years-for-funding-terrorists/article693461/ |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=13 September 2007}}</ref>

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>

''[[The New York Times]]'' reported in June 1984 that Indian Prime Minister [[Indira Gandhi]] conveyed to [[Helmut Schmidt]] and [[Willy Brandt]], both of them being former Chancellors of [[West Germany]], that [[United States]]' [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) was involved in causing unrest in Punjab. It also reported that ''[[The Indian Express]]'' quoted anonymous officials from India's Intelligence establishment as saying that the CIA "masterminded" a plan to support the acolytes of [[Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale]], who died a few days ago during [[Operation Blue Star]], by smuggling weapons for them through [[Pakistan]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/16/world/india-talks-of-cia-role-in-unrest.html|title=India Talks of C.I.A. Role in Unrest|last=Markham|first=James M.|date=1984-06-16|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-11-28|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The United States embassy denied this report's findings.<ref name=":0" />

According to [[B. Raman]], former Additional Secretary in the [[Cabinet Secretariat (India)|Cabinet Secretariat]] of India and a senior official of the [[Research and Analysis Wing]], the [[United States]] initiated a plan in complicity with Pakistan's General [[Yahya Khan]] in 1971 to support an insurgency for Khalistan in Punjab.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/CIA-ISI-encouraged-Sikh-terrorism/articleshow/2235406.cms|title=CIA, ISI encouraged Sikh terrorism|date=26 July 2007|website=[[Press Trust of India]]|via=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=28 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/us-pak-isi-had-a-hand-in-punjab-militancy-book/story-kBFu6v3LLWKjrnOYUqP2MO.html|title=US, Pak ISI had a hand in Punjab militancy: Book|date=2007-07-26|website=[[Hindustan Times]]|language=en|access-date=2019-12-01}}</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>

On 18 November 1998, the Canada-based Sikh journalist [[Tara Singh Hayer]] was gunned down by suspected Khalistani militants. The publisher of the "Indo-Canadian Times," a Canadian Sikh and once-vocal advocate of the armed struggle for Khalistan, he had criticised the bombing of [[Air India Flight 182]], and was to testify about a conversation he overheard concerning the bombing.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2008/11/17/a-true-sikh-martyr-jonathan-kay-on-the-10th-anniversary-of-the-assassination-of-tara-singh-hayer.aspx |title=A true Sikh martyr: Jonathan Kay on the 10th anniversary of the assassination of Tara Singh Hayer |last=Kay |first=Jonathan |date=17 November 2008 |work=The National Post |access-date=7 June 2009 }}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name=lofbook>{{citation |last=Bolan |first=Kim |title=Loss of Faith: How the Air-India Bombers Got Away With Murder |publisher=McClelland & Stewart |date=2006 |edition=Paperback |at=p.&nbsp;388 (Chapters 6 and 7) |isbn=978-0-7710-1131-3}}</ref> On 24 January 1995,<ref name=sikhtimesBK>{{cite news |url=http://www.sikhtimes.com/news_121403a.html |title=Testimony: Babbar Khalsa Ordered Tara Singh Hayer Slaying |date=14 December 2003 |publisher=CanWest News Service}}</ref> Tarsem Singh Purewal, editor of Britain's Punjabi-language weekly "Des Pardes", was killed as he was closing his office in [[Southall]]. There is speculation that the murder was related to Sikh extremism, which Purewal may have been investigating. Another theory is that he was killed in retaliation for revealing the identity of a young rape victim.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/748866.stm |title=Call for end to Sikh murder mystery |last=Summers |first=Chris |date=2 June 2000 |work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4354435.stm |title=Call for police to solve Sikh murder |last=Summers |first=Chris |date=17 March 2005 |work=BBC News}}</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>

There has been some controversy over Canada's response to the Khalistan movement. After Amarinder Singh's refusal to meet [[Canadian Prime Minister]] [[Justin Trudeau]] in 2017, calling him a "Khalistani sympathizer", Singh ultimately met with Trudeau 22 Feb 2018 over the issue.<ref>{{cite news |title=Amarinder Singh meets Justin Trudeau and Canada's 'Khalistani sympathiser' minister |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/amarinder-singh-meets-justin-trudeau-and-canadas-defence-minister-khalistani-sympathiser-harjit-sajjan/articleshow/63012999.cms |website=Times of India|date=21 February 2018 }}</ref> Trudeau assured Singh that his country would not support the revival of the separatist movement.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Singh |first1=Surjit |last2=Sharma |first2=Anil |title=Khalistan figures in Trudeau-Amarinder talks, Punjab CM hands over list of 9 Canada-based radicals |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/amarinder-singh-raises-khalistan-issue-in-talks-with-justin-trudeau/story-gHiDSlJZky04rWRyWr4cSJ.html |website=Hindustan Times|date=21 February 2018 }}</ref><ref name="india-canada-list"/><ref>{{cite web|last1=Connolly|first1=Amanda|title=Jagmeet Singh defends speaking at Sikh separatist rally in 2015|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/4083047/jagmeet-singh-sikh-separatist-rally/|website=Global News |access-date=22 May 2018}}</ref> Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Badal was quoted saying Khalistan is "no issue, either in Canada or in Punjab".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/khalistan-no-issue-either-in-canada-or-punjab-sukhbir/story-BnMycPea65L76wdMStQjMP.html|title=Khalistan no issue either in Canada or Punjab, says Sukhbir Badal|date=23 February 2018|website=Hindustan Times}}</ref> [[Justin Trudeau]] has declared that his country would not support the revival of the separatist movement.<ref name="india-canada-list">{{cite news|title=India gives Trudeau list of suspected Sikh separatists in Canada|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-canada-trudeau/india-gives-trudeau-list-of-suspected-sikh-separatists-in-canada-idUSKCN1G61K7|website=Reuters |date=22 February 2018|quote=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.}}</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>

In February 2008, [[BBC Radio 4]] reported that the Chief of the Punjab Police, NPS Aulakh, alleged that militant groups were receiving money from the British Sikh community.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/file_on_4/7263211.stm|title=Sikh separatists 'funded from UK'|date=4 March 2008|work=BBC News}}</ref> The same report included statements that although the Sikh militant groups were poorly equipped and staffed, intelligence reports and interrogations indicated that Babbar Khalsa was sending its recruits to the same [[terrorist training camp]]s in Pakistan used by [[Al Qaeda]].<ref name="2008FebFileon4">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/26_02_08_fo4_sikh.pdf|title=TRANSCRIPT OF "FILE ON 4"- 'SIKH GROUPS'|last=Bassey|first=Amardeep|date=26 February 2008|work=BBC News|page=20}}</ref>

The ISYF is listed in the UK as a "Proscribed Terrorist Group" <ref name="UKBKlisting" /> but it has not been included in the list of terrorist organisations by the United States Department of State.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/other/des/123085.htm|title=Foreign Terrorist Organizations|date=13 May 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090513211359/http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/other/des/123085.htm |archive-date=13 May 2009 }}</ref> It was also added to the [[US Treasury Department]] terrorism list on 27 June 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/terror.txt|title=Terrorism: What You Need To Know About U.S. Sanctions|publisher=U.S. Department of Treasury|access-date=24 May 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020195749/http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/terror.txt|archive-date=20 October 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

[[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>

The Vancouver Sun reported in February 2008 that [[Dabinderjit Singh]] was campaigning to have both the Babbar Khalsa and International Sikh Youth Federation de-listed as terrorist organisations.<ref name="delistingeffort">{{cite news|url=http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=17e39f37-c322-40a7-8b13-e37c29e40881|title=Sikh leader solicits support|last=Bolan|first=Kim|date=18 February 2008|newspaper=The Vancouver Sun |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090603194134/http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=17e39f37-c322-40a7-8b13-e37c29e40881|archive-date=3 June 2009|df=dmy-all}}</ref> It also stated of Public Safety Minister [[Stockwell Day]] that "he has not been approached by anyone lobbying to delist the banned groups". Day is also quoted as saying "The decision to list organizations such as Babbar Khalsa, Babbar Khalsa International, and the International Sikh Youth Federation as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code is intended to protect Canada and Canadians from terrorism."<ref name="delistingeffort"/> There are claims of funding from [[Sikh diaspora|Sikhs outside India]] to attract young people into these pro-Khalistan militant groups.<ref name="BBC_foreignFund">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/file_on_4/7263211.stm |title=Sikh separatists 'funded from UK' |publisher=BBC |date=4 March 2008}}</ref>

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