No support for Khalistan in US: Indian-American Sikh leader

According to a well-known Sikh leader who is Indian-American, neither the community nor the government in the US support the Khalistan movement.

The Sikhs of America organization’s Jassee Singh also pleaded with the Modi administration to offer Punjab a comprehensive development plan that would address the state’s major issues, such as the youth drug problem.

“Modi Government’s relationship with the Sikhs and the things that he has done for this community is unprecedented as compared to the previous governments. There is no doubt about that,” Singh was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

“At the same time, there are several Sikh issues that need to be addressed. This includes the atrocities against the Sikhs in the 1984 riots. No Sikhs would forget this,” Singh added.

The prime minister needs to build a direct relationship with the Sikh community in India and around the world rather than going through intermediaries like the Akalis and the Badals, the speaker said, adding that the Modi administration has done its best to address the concerns of the Sikhs.

Responding to a question he said, “No. The majority of Sikhs don’t support the Khalistan movement.”

He said there is a small minority in India and the US that supports this movement.

Since 2014, Singh and his group have had meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during each of his visits to the US.

Singh noted that the success of India inspires pride in all Indians living abroad and stated that it is past due for the Centre to provide a “better package” for the people, the youth, and the state of Punjab.

“More should be done for the youth of Punjab. There is a need to stop the migration of youth outside India and provide them with employment and business opportunities,” he said.

In response to a query concerning the latest American claims that an Indian official was complicit in a scheme to kill a US-based separatist Sikh leader, Singh stated that there is little chance that this will affect bilateral relations in the long run.

Last month, US federal prosecutors accused Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national, of collaborating with an Indian government official in the thwarted alleged scheme to murder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an American and Canadian citizen who is a supporter of the Khalistan movement. Along with the Indian national, who the Department of Justice claims hired someone in the US to kill Pannun, an unidentified Indian official was also included in an indictment.

“Everybody knows what has been going on in the past few weeks, with the Department of Justice filing a charge sheet against Nikhil Gupta and accusing the government of India. But this should not be seen as a support for a separatist Khalistani movement in the US,” Singh said.

“This was an action taken by the US government to protect their own citizens. The separatist happens to be a US citizen, so they came in defence of a US citizen for extrajudicial killings,” he added.

When asked about whether it would impact bilateral ties, Singh said: “I think, yes, for a very short term it has an impact on the relationship. But in the larger context, I think a better understanding will come out of it between both governments because India has suggested that this is not their policy to do things like this.” He said there was an investigation going on.”

“I would request the Indian government to conduct an independent investigation as soon as possible, and people who did it should be brought to justice,” he added.

“But India-US ties are a strong relationship. The US needs India and India needs the US as well because of geo-strategic reasons, countering China and other issues. So, this is a short-term setback in the relationship.”

(With agency inputs)