Khalistanis in the US, UK

The resounding failure of the August 12 Referendum 2020 rally in London has oddly enough whetted the appetite of pro-Khalistan elements in the West, especially in the US and the UK. Last week, president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) Manjit Singh GK was allegedly attacked in the US by pro-Khalistan individuals. For those asking what business did the DSGMC chief have in the US, the simple answer is that the Sikh faith allows everyone entry into gurdwaras irrespective of race and creed. Recently a heartwarming picture of a Muslim man being permitted to pray in a gurdwara attested to this spirit of inclusivity fostered by all the Gurus.

Rahul Gandhi, too, was heckled during a town hall meeting in London but mercifully there was no physical violence involved nor was the venue a place of worship. A closer examination of the activities of anti-India dissidents abroad reveals that their motivation and determination are directly proportional to the long rope given by the host country. And it is inversely proportional if that country’s national interests — mainly business — are made to suffer. Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s loss of interest in the cause occurred after India gave him a cold shoulder on his official visit to the country.  

The past has enough markers about the ratcheting up of anti-India activity abroad as a tool of foreign policy. The Khalistan bogey first reared its head when Indira Gandhi was at odds with the Anglo-American aims for the subcontinent. And now when India seems to be recalibrating its foreign policy to a more centrist orientation, the demand for Khalistan is enjoying a fresh lease of life. The past is also a guide to know how a tactical ploy by Western intelligence snowballed into an uncontrollable demon that ravaged the landscape of Punjab for over a decade. The cause of angst — a dozen commissions and committees have been unable to bring closure to 1984 — can hardly be addressed by tilting at windmills. Or by being handmaidens of forces who have an axe to grind with their homeland.