The other thing about Khalistan – whether we need it or not – yes we are entitled to our opinions but Khalistan was declared. 1986 was a sarbat khalsa, a bonafied panthic gathering, and Khalistan was declared by the Guru Panth. The only way to change it would be to have another sarbat khalsa and to “undeclare” it.

I agree – flag-waving, music-pumping teenagers at nagar keertans do nothing for anybody. I agree – the type of “slacktivism” that passes for panthic seva is pathetic. HOWEVER, about India progressing – India’s government / leadership hasn’t progressed, its middle class is just more educated and more in touch with the West and with technology. Don’t give me that garbage about India being more open to dissent. The fanatic RSS still control a lot of India’s interests. There are zionist fanatics, islamist fanatics, evangelical fanatics, and there are brahmin fanatics. The only reason more crazy stuff doesn’t happen in India is not because they are more tolerant, but because they are still too disorganized and corrupt to get their shit together and even do bad things. But there’s no reason that politicians giving voter & student registries and hired mobs targeting the homes of a minority community couldn’t happen with the blink of an eye tomorrow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBimro66sRg
http://tatkhalsa.blogspot.com/2010/11/heir-of-akali-phoola-singh.html

I know a singh in India who left on the advice of mahapurkhs because police are going around and picking up singhs, arresting them on trumped up charges. This singh was not involved in the movement in any way, nor is he involved in protests. This activity has increased in recent years.
Arundhati Roy recently lambasted the govt. for failure in protecting human rights and fears for its viability as a democracy.
And now, with Obama’s upcoming visit Sikhs in Kashmir were alarmed when uniformed military men demanded they come out of their homes in some villages. They think Indian military was attempting to repeat the Chittasinghpura massacre so they could blame Kashmiri separatists to drive a wedge between Sikhs and Muslims. Muslims and Sikhs stood together and drove off the gunmen. Police patrols have now increased, and an army jeep was seized.

All this is not the work of a democracy that is becoming freer, but rather business as usual. In fact, the evidence overwhelmingly shows that the government is actually increasing rights violations against Sikhs. The most important evidence being what Singhs over there have been saying about Sikh protestors (PEACEFUL, non-militant ones) being rounded up and arrested by police way AFTER the protest. Protests are simply used to identify those who will stand up.

These comments come as the BJP has called for Roy to be arrested and charged with sedition. Further, the government has conceded that these charges are viable according to them. Although the government, so far, has chosen not to arrest her it does not go without saying that her counterpart, Geelani, at a conference where all the controversy began has had 90 cases registered against him for speaking against the government. Now you may ask why neither have been killed as Sardar Khalra was, but what you fail to see the international network Roy has behind her. Roy is quite simply protected by her fame, she is seen as one of the most progressive writers by activists, political/social scientists all around the world. Even in Canadian universities her writings are required readings and her popularity in academia is monstrous. To put it bluntly, she is protected not because India has changed, but because India is intelligent enough to understand the backlash it would suffer by killing her.

For a second, I think the writer of this article really needs to be critical of his/her own thoughts. I could go on pointing out very basic logical flaws in the article, but to be honest I don’t feel like wasting my time writing another 1000 words. What I will say is that, the author is unfortunately a victim to the glass ceiling effect. Just because you can see up the chain and notice one or two people have made it, doesn’t mean an entire populous can. Roy is protected, that does not mean every Punjabi or Sikh is in their calling for Khalistan. A truth and reconciliation process in Punjab is a joke, if the author knew anything about what the process entails, they would realize it first requires the government recognizing they did something wrong and the population feeling secure enough to bring their stories forward, which is not the case, thus illustrating how things have not changed. Lastly, speaking about issues in Canada is probably the only reconciliatory process taking place, to undermind the work of the organizations you have highlighted is unfortunate. A people who hold onto to trauma and grievances from political and state terror require two things in the first of many steps towards healing.

1 – being heard, being given a voice to share their stories
2 – having their pain and suffering acknowledged

Both of these are taking place in “free’er” states such as Canada. The recent rise in poet, music and art as mediums to have grievances and stories shared is an example of this.

It’s unfortunate you believe India has changed, Pal Singh should serve as example of how utterly wrong you are (that’s even if your aware of who he is). And your abandonment of Sikh or Punjabi sovereignty as a credible goal is parallel to the belief that the USA is no longer racists because Obama is President. All in all, Mr. Clark keep enjoying the view from the basement of that glass tower, because even superman has his kryptonite to be afraid of, and in the real world, for you if logic was an object it would glowing green.

It’s unfortunate that we think for some reason things have changed in Hindustan when our brothers are still being picked up, tortured and killed. When you annihilate an entire generation things are going to appear to be different.

“You can say you don’t want Khalistan because you sleep under the blanket of the very freedom that was provided by all the Martyrs from the ’70s and ’80s, and now you question the manner in which they provided it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post.”

Clark Kent… or whatever your real name is. You can say all this because it wasn’t your son, your mother, your sister, your father or your uncle that died or was raped in 1984. You live a life here in Canada which affords you the luxury of not looking over your back or worrying when and where the Police are going to pick you up and then just wipe you off the face of the planet. This country has afforded you the freedom to say what you want and just because you’ve never been harassed in India you think you don’t want Khalistan and you can do whatever you want.

The most educated people in the world have yet get their Government to truly apologize for what the Government and its citizens did to Sikhs in 1984. If you feel so strongly about this then maybe you should go to India and make something happen but don’t tell people here in the West that we shouldn’t want Khalistan because there are a lot of people living here who can never go back home because of the Government and people YOU say have changed. People who have not seen their families in almost 3 decades. How long can you go without seeing your mother or your sister or your father?

Khalistan is a place that will be ours, with our laws and where our people can go and be among their own. So yes we still want it because your Government, in this past decade, has shot down an attempt to change one word in the Hindu Marriage Act. How can we work together with a government who will not even change the word “Hindu” even though the people are not Hindu. It’s minor things like this that add up over the years. So while you may be satisfied with the government of India because they didn’t arrest you for wearing a Sant Ji shirt, doesn’t mean everyone else is.

For writing such bs like you have you deserved to have your Malton Membership revoked and publicly stoned at Dixie. Who knows, maybe you might be lucky and your government from the other end of the world just might come and save you.