Khalistan Referendum, high hopes for separate state for Sikhs
NON-Hindu groups are under the direct threat of being alienated in India under the nationalist government of Premier Narendra Modi.
Non-Hindus are nowhere in the power corridor of India. They are being sidelined or transferred to other non-essential departments of the country. As per latest media reports, senior Sikh officers are being transferred from Indian Army’s strategically important positions to nonessential appointments.
All these discriminatory tendencies of Hindu nationalist Modi government implies that things are going to be more difficult for other than Hindu communities in future. Owing to these biased approach of Indian government, Sikh groups have intensified their legitimate struggle for independent and sovereign homeland, free from Indian rule.
In this regard, all major Sikh groups are being united under the ambit of Sikh For Justice (SFJ) Movement to hold referendum in different countries of the world to accomplish its long pending dream of separate, sovereign and independent State of Khalistan.
Recently, SFJ has started voting on the referendum in the UK to decide about the fate of separate homeland for Sikh community.
This move came amid discriminatory policies of Modi government against Sikh community, holding farmers protest where Indian Establishment used every lethal tact to suppress them. Also, the BJP government is using social media platforms to push hyper Indian nationalism and to suppress Khalistan referendum campaign by blocking content and posts advocating for liberation of Punjab from India through ballot.
With the increasing trends regarding the suppression of Sikhs and farmers, SFJ intensified its call for independent homeland and conducted first phase of voting on the referendum, under the banner of SFJ in UK last year.
A large number of Sikhs are participating in the voting process to determine the fate of independent state for their already suppressed community. The voting is likely to continue in different countries of the world including the US. As expected, international media took up the issue and highlighted the oppression against Sikh community across India. Even, the US state of New Jersey passed a bill in favour of Sikh community that faced genocide under former Indian PM Indira Ghandi’s tenure.
It has been observed by independent organizations that majority of the votes are in favour of an independent state for the Sikh community. Thousands who took part in the voting process responded to the question: “Should Indian-governed Punjab Be An Independent country?” Sikhs have shown up to vote in the referendum, in thousands, to express their anger at the Indian government’s actions.
The initial results and assessments clearly indicate that oppressed Sikh community wants liberation from Indian discriminatory policies and occupation. The President for SFJ General Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has said that the referendum will pave the way for separate homeland for the Sikhs living not only in India but across the world.
He argued that Indian government is using every illegitimate tool to malign Sikh community and organizers of SFJ referendum. Indian government’s all tactics would fail and cannot derail the struggle of the Sikh community for independent homeland, he added.
With the next round of voting slated in the UK, Sikh leaders are overwhelmingly praising Diaspora for participating in the voting process. As SJF movement intensified its campaign to expose discriminatory approach of the Indian government, hawkish BJP leaders are pitching their voices to label SFJ as a terrorist organization. However, they have failed to prove terrorist links of the organization with other groups. Instead, the world has witnessed that Sikh agitations/protests have remained peaceful throughout the years. It is pertinent to mention here that the entire process of the referendum is going on with established international values and rules and that’s what frightens Indian power corridors. To stop the process of referendum, Indian authorities have asked British counterparts many times to stop the process of voting, but eventually couldn’t succeed.
The persecution of the Sikh community by Hindu fanatics in India has sent a very strong and clear message to Indian rulers, who are vying to establish Hindu Rashtra (India as a Hindu State).
The use of force or any illegal constitutional tool cannot stop the legitimate struggle of Sikh community. And as per initial results, they will be able to establish separate state for the Sikh community either in India or in exile. The same has been practiced by the leaders of Manipur state, who had announced their full cabinet in exile.
The overall results of the referendum will be shared with international community, organizations and independent election observers. Therefore, the Modi government can’t get away from the legitimate political struggle of Sikh leaders.
Likewise, this is not the end here. More states in India are also intensifying their struggle for separation from Indian rule due to the Hindutva driven policies of the Modi government.
The states of Assam, West Bengal, Manipur, Tamil Nadu and most importantly Jammu and Kashmir are also seeking end of Indian imposed and discriminatory rule. The world must come forward and press Indian authorities to fulfil democratic norms and political obligations where people can decide about their fate. As per established democratic norms, any state, group is free to determine its future.
This is the right time for international community and organizations to hold the Modi government accountable for its discriminatory policies towards not only Sikh community but other minority groups such as Muslims and Christians as well.
This time the world must not stay mum over the illegitimate/unconstitutional policies of the Indian government.
They should set aside their political, economic and military interests with New Delhi and must condemn persecution of minorities. The international community’s preferences over trade instead of human rights with India are strengthening New Delhi’s oppressions against minorities and they are likely to be increased if world stays mum on the issue.
—The writer is Islamabad based expert of Indian Political Affairs.
