Giani Harpreet Singh Said Every Sikh Wants Khalistan And They Will Accept It If Government Offers It!

Asked about sloganeering at Akal Takht in favour of Khalistan by Sikh hardliners, Giani Harpreet Singh said, “There is nothing wrong if slogans are raised after the function. If the government offers us Khalistan, what else do we need? We will accept it, because every Sikh wants it.” Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Gobind Singh Longowal, who was present during the media interaction, endorsed the jathedar’s stance, saying “if the government offers it, it will be acceptable to us”.

By Mr. X With News Files

CHANDIGARH - Akal Takht acting Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh said Saturday every Sikh wanted Khalistan  and if the government offers them a separate state, they will accept it happily.

Singh was speaking to the media following the culmination of the annual function at Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, to mark the 36th anniversary of Operation Bluestar, carried out by the Indian Army to flush out heavily-armed militants from inside the Darbar Sahib complex between June 1 and 8, 1984.

Empowered by the June 6 statement of Giani Harpreet Singh, SGPC appointed Head of Akal Takhat, US-based secessionist group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) vowed to continue with its plans to hold voting for non-governmental Punjab Independence Referendum in the year 2020 while complying with the COVID-19 safety guidelines of W.H.O.

On the 36th martyrdom year of Sant Bhindranwale, SFJ held a global conference addressed by pro Khalistan activists and international experts of democracy and referendum and announced that from July 4, 2020, people living in Punjab and Sikhs living anywhere in India will be able to register their votes for non-governmental Punjab Independence Referendum.

According to the Voter Eligibility Criteria the people who are eligible to participate are those:

1. 18 years or older on November 1, 2020
2. People of all religions residing in residing in Indian Governed Punjab who are Punjabis By Descent, Ethnicity and Language. (Indigenous people of Indian governed Punjab).
3. People of Sikh religion living anywhere in India

Weighing the June 6 statement “Every Sikh Wants Khalistan” by Head of Akal Takhat as truly reflecting the popular sentiment of the Sikh people, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, General Counsel to SFJ stated that “the time has come for India to accept the ground reality that a genuine and widespread difference of political opinion exists among people of Punjab on the question of secession from India and referendum is the only peaceful method to resolve this issue to the will of the people”.

“June 6 reminds us and 36 years of history is witness to it that any other method besides referendum results in cycle of violence”, added attorney Pannun.

International Experts on Direct Democracy and Referendums who addressed SFJ’s Global Conference included:

- Bruno Kaufman from Switzerland, who is Global Democracy Correspondent at the Swiss Broadcasting Company and has covered elections and referendums around the world for more than 30 years; 

- M. Dane Waters from United States, the founder and Chair of the Initiative & Referendum Institute at the University of Southern California – a research and educational organization established to study direct democracy;

- Professor Matt Qvortrup from United Kingdom who is a Professor of Political Science at Coventry University and has been described by the BBC as ‘the world’s leading expert on referendums”, and by the Financial Times as “a world authority on the subject of referendums”. Matt is author of several books on the subject of referendum; and

- Paul Jacob from United States who is a ballot measure activist and president of the “Citizens in Charge Foundation” which seeks to protect and expand the initiative and referendum process.

SFJ launched a portal www.freepunjab2020.org for people of Punjab to find in advance their eligibility to participate in the Punjab Independence Referendum. Through a questionnaire, the online portal informs the users if they are eligible to participate or not as per the Voter Eligibility Criteria.

Asked about sloganeering at Akal Takht in favour of Khalistan by Sikh hardliners, Giani Harpreet Singh said, “There is nothing wrong if slogans are raised after the function. If the government offers us Khalistan, what else do we need? We will accept it, because every Sikh wants it.”

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Gobind Singh Longowal, who was present during the media interaction, endorsed the jathedar’s stance, saying “if the government offers it, it will be acceptable to us”.

Earlier, a bhog ceremony, ardas and kirtan were performed at the Takht in memory of those killed in Operation Bluestar.

The function was held amid tight security and the media was barred from covering the event inside the Golden Temple complex.

Supporters of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) had a minor scuffle with the police at the entrance of Golden Temple when they were prevented from entering the shrine to attend the function. They were allowed in after they held a demonstration.

During the function, which was held amid heavy rain, the jathedar delivered his sandesh (address) and pointed out to police restrictions for devotees at the Golden Temple. “Sikhs lack unity. This is why there are these restrictions,” he said.

A majority of people in the gathering were SGPC employees and police in plainclothes.