Khalistan movement: Difference between revisions

Khalistan was the name given to a proposed nation-state encompassing much of the area of Punjabi-speaking India and Pakistan.

This proposal is a dream of a very small and fast shrinking minority of Sikhs extremists who put their personal ambitions above the holy scripture of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. It should be noted that in the nearly 239 years when the Ten Gurus of Sikhism were preaching their message of compassion, selfless service, tolerance and meditation, they never once stated the need for a separate state. None of the Sikh Gurus have ever stated that a separate state is required or necessary for the promotion of the Sikh faith. On the contrary, the Gurus give a different message of peace and simple life. On page 74 of the SGGS:

• Now, the Merciful Lord has issued His Command. Let no one chase after and attack anyone else. Let all abide in peace, under this Benevolent Rule. ||13||

and also on page 26:

• You may enjoy the pleasures of hundreds of thousands of women, and rule the nine continents of the world. But without the True Guru, you will not find peace; you will be reincarnated over and over again. ||3||

and finally on page 268, Guru Ji says:

• False are body, wealth, and all relations. False are ego, possessiveness and Maya. False are power, youth, wealth and property. False are sexual desire and wild anger. False are chariots, elephants, horses and expensive clothes. False is the love of gathering wealth, and reveling in the sight of it. False are deception, emotional attachment and egotistical pride. False are pride and self-conceit. Only devotional worship is permanent, and the Sanctuary of the Holy. Nanak lives by meditating, meditating on the Lotus Feet of the Lord. ||4||

For this very reason, this movement is doomed and will never get the backing of any well-informed and impartial follower of this faith. It should also be noted that the promoters of this ideology have never presented a properly reasoned arguments of why a separate state would have any economical or other benefits for the peoples of that region. It is therefore surprising that this idea is being promote without proper support from history by way of quotes from the holy texts or historical precedence; or any economical analysis; or a social plan or any other interpretation apart from ‘separation for separation’ sake.

The literal meaning of Khalistan is "The Sovereign Land," which would be comprised of an egalitarian social system. The ideal type of governance would be the Sikh concept of "halemi-raj," meaning 'humanitarian & just governance.' In this definition of governance, the citizens of the country with political authority are servants of the same ideology as normal citizens; and their position as an official of the government would grant them authority to make decisions based on the public, rather than self-serving power.

It is supported by a very small Sikh separatists as a homeland for the Sikhs and other communities. On account of the portrayal by international media, largely influenced by Indian intelligence agencies, of Sikhs as radical, public opinion in India is against the proposal. The idea of a nation-state called Khalistan is no longer prominent in India, but is supported by some Sikhs in other countries, notably the United States. No independent poll has being commissioned to show the level of support for this proposal.

Sociologically, the Khalistan movement could be interpreted as a consequence of a revolt against Brahmanism, also known as the caste-system. According to the Hindu religion, people are born into different castes, ranging from priests to slaves. Since the basis of the Sikh religion is that all people are equal, this was seen as a threat by the Indian-government and led to brutal crackdowns by military and paramilitary forces during Sikh religious festivals.

However, the most obvious motivation for the separate nation-state is a result of state-sponsored terrorism in India against minorities (since 1984, 250,000 Sikhs and 200,000 Christians as well as thousands of other religious minorities have been killed). The majority of civilian deaths of Sikhs in India have been due to fake-police encounters, government-sponsored riots and the government attack on the Harimandir Sahib (central Sikh shrine) in Amritsar in 1984. As a result of this and continuing psychological harassment by the Indian government, it is likely this movement will continue for the time being. Currently, there are more than 13 rebellions in various stages of activity against the Indian government, of which the Khalistan movement is only one.