Khalistan movement
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Republic of Khalistan ਖ਼ਾਲਿਸਤਾਨ ਗਣਰਾਜ | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
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| Motto: "ਅਕਾਲ ਸਹਾਇ" ("God is our Protector") | |
| Anthem: "ਦੇਗ ਤੇਗ ਫ਼ਤਿਹ" ("Victory to charity and arms") | |
 Punjab the Stronghold of Separatists | |
| Country | India |
| Important dates of Khalistan Movement | |
• The beginning | From 1940s |
• Operation Blue Star | 6 June 1984 |
• Declaration of Independence | 29 April 1986 |
• Armed Struggle | 1985 - 1995 |
• Ongoing Struggle | 1995 - Present day |
The Khalistan movement is a Sikh secessionist movement. Promoted as a separatist campaign, its goal is to create a homeland for Sikhs by seceding the Indian Punjab from India and establishing a sovereign, ethno-religious Sikh state called Khālistān ('Land of the Khalsa'), in the Punjab region. The geographical area of the proposed state is variable and several propositions have been made by different groups, but all plans which have been primarily considered involve land that currently forms Punjab, Chandigarh and Punjabi speaking areas of Haryana and Rajasthan. The movement included a period of violence, militancy, and terrorism from the 1980s to the mid-1990s.
On 12 April 1980, Jagjit Singh Chauhan, a prominent supporter of the movement, declared the Council of Khalistan, at Anandpur Sahib.[1] He said he was the President of organization, and Balbir Singh Sandhu was its Secretary General. In May 1980, Chauhan traveled to London and announced the formation of Khalistan. A similar announcement was made by Sandhu, in Amritsar. [2]
Religious landscape of East Punjab region[change | change source]
East Punjab comprising the states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh had a population of 61,014,852 people as of 2011 census report of India. The Hindus form a majority in East Punjab region with 40,234,605 adherents comprising (65.94%), Sikhs are 17,466,731 comprising (28.62%) of the region, Muslims are 2,518,159 comprising (4.12%) of the region and others are 795,357 including Christians, Buddhists, Jains, and atheists together comprising remaining (1.3%) of the region. Sikhs are the majority in Punjab, while Hindus form the majority in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh.
In this 21st century, Sikh population is 30 million worldwide,[3] out of which 17.46 million lives in East Punjab region of India and rest 3.34 million lives out of East Punjab region of India.[4] Foreign diaspora shows that in additional +10 million Sikhs live outside of India, particularly in the countries of West, Canada, Australia, US.[5]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ Nayar, Kuldip; Kushwant Singh (1985). Tragedy of Punjab. India: Vision Books Pvt. Ltd. p. 51. ISBN 1851270698.
- ↑ Singh, Satinder (1982). Khalistan: An Academic Analysis. Delhi & Punjab: Amar Prakashan. p. 114.
- ↑ "What is Sikhism? Breaking down an often-stereotyped religion". 18 May 2021.
- ↑ "Refworld | Sikhs Outside Punjab".
- ↑ "South Asia: Punjab".