Geopolitics Review - 25th November 2024
Hidden Wars: Khalistan
Contents
Introduction
What Is Khalistan?
The Canada-India Escalation
Moving Forward
Concluding Remarks
Other News In Geopolitics This Week
Bitesize Edition
In continuing my series on Hidden Wars, today I dive into the Sikh-separatist state hoped for by some, named Khalistan.
Back in 1947, India was partitioned into Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan after independence from the British. The Sikh community didn’t receive their own state, and hence arose the Khalistan movement.
The 1970s and 1980s saw tensions rise sharply, with political ramifications and violence seen on multiple occasions. Since this peak in tensions however, the Khalistan movement has declined in support. And so, why is the issue rising to the surface once again today? How is the Khalistan movement contributing to negative relations between India and Canada? And what of this assassination plot of Sikh separatist leaders around the world? This is very much a hidden war, with very little coverage surrounding it, and so let’s break it down.
Introduction
In continuing my series on hidden conflicts unfolding around the world, we today discuss Khalistan. Firstly, what is Khalistan, and why is the region leading to rapidly rising tensions between the Indians and the Canadians? Find out more below!
What Is Khalistan?
The Khalistan movement is a Sikh separatist movement, with the hope of establishing a Sikh homeland centred in the Punjab State of India. The term “Khalistan” translates roughly into “Land of the Pure”.
The origin of the movement came in 1947 during the partition of India. India was divided into Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan, but the Sikh community didn’t receive their own state. This led to the pursuit of greater Sikh autonomy, but independence was not discussed at the time.
The Akali Dal, a Sikh political party, was important in raising the issues of greater Sikh autonomy during the 1970s. In the 1980s, the Bhindranwale Movement saw Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale gain followers and he was to be seen as a defender of Sikh rights. To India, he was seen as a militant.
In 1984, Operation Blue Star saw the removal of Bhindranwale and his supporters who had fortified themselves in the Golden Temple in Amritsar. This led to many deaths in one of the holiest sites in Sikhism, leading to outrage around the world.
In response, then-Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in response to Operation Blue Star. The riots that emerged afterwards saw further Sikh deaths.
Since this peak of tensions, the movement has lost momentum, with counter-insurgency movements implemented by the Indian government, and the hope for peace and stability among the Sikh community motivating further peace. This leads us to the status of the movement today, and how tensions have arisen between India and Canada in recent years.
The Canada-India Escalation
This re-emergence of the Khalistan issue started in 2018 when the group named Sikhs for Justice announced they would undertake a Khalistani voting process across several countries. In 2019, the group were banned from activities in India. This group has contributed to raised tensions with Pakistan, who India believes is funding them. Interestingly, the Sikhs for Justice website shares its domain with a Karachi-based website, thus indicating some connection. In 2021, the group released a map with their planned territory for the proposed state.
2023 saw a steep escalation, with the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Vancouver, Canada. He was gunned down in the street, and four men have since been arrested and charged with the murder. From this Nijjar case, it has left many wondering if more details will emerge surrounding this wider plot.
A didfeeent plot against a Sikh separatist leader named Gurpatwant Singh Pannun was also uncovered in the United States. He is labelled and charged as a terrorist in India for advocating for a separatist Sikh state. A man named Nikhil Gupta was accused of hiring a hitman in New York who was actually an undercover law enforcement officer. He paid $15000 up front, with a final payment of $100,000 agreed for the hit on Pannun. Law enforcement caught this attempt, but others haven’t been caught, implying a deeper web of networks involved in this plot. Gupta was expedited to the United States from the Czech Republic in June 2024.
An investigation since has revealed the plot had four targets, with Nijjar being the first, and three out of the four being Canadian targets.
This plot has been investigated internally by India and by the United States. A key conclusion was that it was expected an Indian government official was behind the plot, initially code-named CC-1. CC-1 was communicating heavily with Gupta. This was revealed to be a man named Vikash Yadav, who was charged in the last few days. Yadav is no longer in the employ of the Indian government, but he worked in the foreign intelligence service. He also previously served in India’s Central Reserve Police Force. As of yet, Yadav hasn’t been caught. Then head of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Samant Goel also approved the plot, according to the Washington Post.
More and more information is coming out regarding this plot, and names involved are being caught. However, tensions have already risen between the Canadians and the Indians. Both countries have pulled their diplomats out of each other’s country, in what is a sure sign of declining relations. What will occur moving forward from here? Can these relations be repaired?
Moving Forward
Just a few days ago, Canada denied it had evidence that Modi knew anything about the assassination plots. It seems this plot has come from elsewhere within the Indian government or the intelligence services in isolation, but it has damaged relations between the two nations at the highest levels. Is there a path to reverse declining tensions and put India and Canada on a productive path forward once again?
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