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final map for the future of the subcontinent was revealed , there was no sight of a
sikh state. The sikhs could do nothing as there was no time left even to protest the
ruling of the british and so the subcontinent split up without a place for the sikhs.
The Post-Partition Movement
After partition the movement was materialized with the “Punjabi Suba Movement”
led by Akali dal. This movement was later rebranded to the Khalistan movement in
the 1960s. Until the 1960s the call for Khalistan had almost vanished , with few
people willing to risk their lives to lead the movement and the sikh public content
with their place in Indian society. However around this time massive anti sikh
demonstrations took place and the sikhs were branded as sub-human by hindu
extremists. The Khalistan movement took speed after the events in 1971 when
Bangladesh revolted against Pakistan with the Sikhs in India modeling themselves
after the Bengalis who wanted freedom from oppression and now they too wanted
their own state.
Davinder Singh Parmar and Jagjit Singh Chohan were two prominent sikhs in
favor of Khalistan and became the de facto leaders for the movement especially
after the events of 1971. After the Indo-Pak war in 1971, Chauhan visited Pakistan
at the invitation of Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi and other leaders. Chauhan visited
Pakistan's Nankana Sahib and several historic gurdwaras and used the opportunity
to promote the idea of an independent Sikh state. His remarks were widely reported
by Pakistani media, and Khalistani's demands attracted the attention of the
international community, including India, for the first time. Despite a lack of public
support, the term "Khalistan" continued to grow in popularity. According to
Chauhan, while talking to Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, he
suggested Nankana Sahib as the capital of Khalistan. On October 13, 1971,
Chauhan visited the United States at the invitation of Sikh diaspora followers and
placed an advertisement in the New York Times declaring the independence of the
Sikh country. The promotion allowed him to raise millions of dollars from the
diaspora, eventually leading to charges in India of sedition and other crimes related
to his separatist activities.