The Council of Khalistan is a non‐profit political organization based in Washington, D.C., United States.[1] It is seeking to create a homeland for Sikhs by establishing a sovereign nation‐state called Khalistan.[2] The Council of Khalistan is one of the key fighting forces of the Khalistan movement.[3] It played important role during the Insurgency in Punjab.[4][5][6]
Council of Khalistan | |
|---|---|
| Motto: ਅਕਾਲ ਸਹਾਇ (Punjabi) Akal Sahai "With God's Grace" | |
| Anthem: ਦੇਗ ਤੇਗ ਫ਼ਤਿਹ (Punjabi) Deg Teg Fateh "Victory to Charity and Arms" | |
.svg) Territory claimed but controlled by India shown in red | |
| Status | Government-in-exile |
| Capital | Amritsar (claimed) |
| Capital-in-exile | London |
| Headquarters | Khalistan House, London, England |
| Official language | Punjabi |
| Religion | Sikhism |
| Demonym(s) | Khalistani |
| Government | Presidential republic |
| Jagjit Singh Chohan | |
• Secretary General | Balbir Singh Sandhu |
| Legislature | Cabinet |
| Establishment | 1980 |
• Formation of the Council of Khalistan | 12 April 1980 |
• Formation of the government‐in‐exile | 13 June 1984 |
• Abolition of the government‐in‐exile | mid‐1990s |
| Currency | Khalistan dollar ($) |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| Date format | dd-mm-yyyy |
History
editThe organization was created On 12 April 1980, when separatist leader Jagjit Singh Chohan officially announced the formation of the Council of Khalistan at Anandpur Sahib and declared himself to be the president.[7] Balbir Singh Sindhu as its Secretary-General. Chohan presented himself as the president of the Republic of Khalistan, set up a cabinet, and issued Khalistani passports, stamps, and currency. On 13 June 1984, Chohan announced a government in exile.[8][9][10]
The Cabinet of the Council of Khalistan was elected at a large meeting of several thousand Sikhs on 23 June 1984 in Southall, west London. And the meeting severely criticized Akali Dal leader Giani Amolak Singh and his associates who had led the Punjab autonomy campaign from 1981; all of them were forced to retire. The Akali Dal was swept aside by the new organization, the Council of Khalistan.[11] Dr. Jagjit Singh Chohan, long ostracized for his idea of a separate Sikh homeland, was given support and a free hand to lead it. The council announced its other four members: Gurmej Singh of the Babbar Khalsa, Sewa Singh of the Akhand Kirtani Jatha, Karamjit Singh representing the youth, and Harmander Singh from the reorganized Akali Dal. A business- man offered an office in central London, appropriately named Khalistan House, where several volunteers undertook the campaign amid meetings and enquiries. The council's appeal for funds was given a generous response, and within two months its funds reached £100,000.[12]
The community's turmoil was under close watch by the Indian authorities. As the BBC broadcast a short statement from Dr. Chohan, regarding the consequences of sacrilege committed by the Indian prime minister through attacking the Golden Temple, a major diplomatic row erupted. It was the first of many fissures to run through Indo-British relations, which were thought to be progressively worsening due to the Sikh factor.[13]
On 24 January 1993, It was briefly admitted in the UNPO, as a representative organization of Khalistan, but was suspended in just a few months.
List of presidents
editThe president of the Council of Khalistan is the leader and head of the organization. The title was created in 1980 when Jagjit Singh Chohan declared himself to be the president. There have been three presidents of CoK since the post was established.
| S. No. | Name | Portrait | Term start | Term end | Time in office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Jagjit Singh Chohan | 12 April 1980 | 7 October 1987 | 7 years, 178 days | [14] | |
| 2. | Gurmit Singh Aulakh | 
|
7 October 1987 | 21 June 2017 | 29 years, 257 days | [15] |
| 3. | Bakhshish Singh Sandhu | 
|
7 October 2017 | Incumbent | 7 years, 52 days | [16] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Shani, Giorgio (2007). Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age. Routledge Advances in South Asian Studies. Routledge. ISBN 9781134101887.
The Council of Khalistan emerged from a factional split within the WSO and has been run since its inception by Dr Gurmit Singh Aulakh from an office in Washington, DC. Dr Aulakh, who has built up a reputation as an effective lobbyist, is the president of the Council of Khalistan and is widely accepted as the unofficial spokesman for the Sikh 'nation' in the US, where he has tirelessly campaigned for the establishment of an independent Sikh homeland. Originally a member of the WSO, Dr Aulakh left in 1986 to establish the International Sikh Organisation. After having been appointed to represent the Sikhs in North America by the Panthic Committee in the Punjab, Dr Aulakh founded the Council of Khalistan and has managed to attract the support of, and more importantly funding from, American gurdwaras (Tatla 1999:121). The Council of Khalistan is registered with the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington, DC, under the Foreign Agents Registration Act as an agent of the Council of Khalistan, Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjab (Council of Khalistan 2007).
- ^ Rajagopalan, Swarna (2014). "The Demand for Khalistan". Security and South Asia: Ideas, Institutions and Initiatives. Routledge. ISBN 9781317809470.
The Council of Khalistan Website is among the many devoted to Sikh politics in India and abroad. Funded largely by Dr. Gurmat Sikh Aulakh, the self-designated president of the Council of Khalistan, the organization, according to its Website, operates out of Washington, DC as a representative of the Council of Khalistan, ostensibly located in the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab. Sikh grievances, chiefly those against the Indian state, are tracked and highlighted on the site. Advocating principally for self-determination and the liberation of Khalistan from Indian occupation', the Council of Khalistan, however, urges its supporters to pursue and protect globally the fundamental rights of the 'Sikh nation' regardless of citizenship. Protests against the French government's restrictions on Sikhs wearing turbans in public institutions or an assessment of India's human rights record at Congressional hearings are profiled under the latest news on the struggle for a free Khalistan, as are news items culled from small towns in the United States, for example, Sikh individuals or community organizations protesting hate crimes against minority populations. The Council of Khalistan seeks to build support for a 'sovereign, independent Khalistan', but the Website presents few concrete strategies or tactics for 'liberating' Khalistan.
- ^ Downing, John Derek Hall (2011). Encyclopedia of Social Movement Media. SAGE. p. 290. ISBN 9780761926887.
- ^ "Letter by Council of Khalistan to Indian Minister Preneet Kaur". sikhsiyasat.net. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ Rajagopalan, Swarna (2014-03-21). Security and South Asia: Ideas, Institutions and Initiatives. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-80947-0.
- ^ Simmons, Mary Kate (1997). Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization: yearbook. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. ISBN 978-90-411-0223-2.
- ^ Thomas, Jo (1984-06-14). "London Sikh Assumes Roe of Exile Chief". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ "National Council of Khalistan top leader blasts India over brutalities against minorities in India". Times of Islamabad. 2019-02-06. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ "Press Release From Council of Khalistan". nscn.livejournal.com. 12 May 2007. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ "Khalistan Flag Hoisted in California". www.sikhtimes.com. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ "Khalistani Delegation Testifies at United Nations – Hon. Dan Burton (Extension of Remarks - August 07, 1998)". irp.fas.org. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ Das, Bornika (2022-06-05). "Explained: Is the Khalistani movement reviving in Punjab?". NewsroomPost. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
- ^ Tatla, Darsham Singh (2005-08-08). The Sikh Diaspora: The Search For Statehood. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-36744-2.
- ^ "Khalistan founder dies of heart attack". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ "Icon of Khalistan Movement Dr Gurmit Singh Aulakh Passes Away". The Sikh24. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ "Council of Khalistan Nominates Successor After Passing Away of Dr. Aulakh". The Sikh24. 10 October 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2023.