The Pro-Khalistan Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) is all set to host its Khalistan Referendum in Washington, DC tomorrow to peacefully express Sikh community’s aspirations for a separate Sikh state. Formed in 2007, the group held the first phase of its referendum in 2021 in the United Kingdom. Since then, hundreds and thousands of people from Sikh community have yearly gathered to vote for independence in different countries namely Italy, Switzerland, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The Indian government banned the SFJ in 2019 and has left no stone unturned to repress the Khalistan movement globally as well through transnational assassinations, misinformation and espionage. 

In June 2023, the Canadian Prime Minister, Justine Trudeau, slammed New Delhi for its involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Najjar – a Khalistan referendum leader. Another pro-separatist activist, Avtar Singh Khanda, was found dead under suspicious conditions in England. Additionally, the US prosecutors charged Indian-linked operatives and a RAW officer, Vikas Yadav, in a thwarted attempt to assassinate the SFJ leader, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Besides trying to silence Sikh leaders through violence, the Modi government has also adopted diplomatic means – for instance, urging Washington to designate SFJ as a terrorist group – to dismantle the Khalistan movement. However, despite India’s effort to brand the Khalistan movement as extremist, countries have defended the movement as an exercise of “freedom of expression”. Contrary to New Delhi’s claims, the Sikh community’s referendums adhere to Article 1 of the United Nations Charter which  grants them the right to self-determination.

 Additionally, India’s attempts to pressure Google, Youtube and X into censoring content related to Khalistan movement have not achieved desired results which implies New Delhi’s failure to construct a convincing counter-narrative. 

The Modi government’s efforts to suppress the movement received a major blow when the US President, Donald Trump, wrote a letter to SFJ’s leader, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, towards the end of July reaffirming his commitment to protect US citizens and their rights. Trump’s letter and the referendum, though non-binding, have exacerbated the situation for the already troubled-Modi government. The timing of Trump’s letter, coinciding with the Referendum, is highly symbolic. 

While some believe it as an additional tactic employed by Trump to pressurize India into complying with his trade demands, others perceive it to be an organic support for the movement. Whatever the case, the letter not only challenges the veracity of India’s allegations against the SFJ and its leaders but also highlights the increasing attention and legitimacy the movement is gaining globally.

 Clearly, despite India’s overt and covert tactics to contain it, the separatist movement continues to gain impetus globally adding to the cascade of challenges Modi government is faced with, both domestically and internationally.

Sarah Ameer

–The writer is a freelance columnist