Is Khalistan project supported by Pakistan?

In news

A veteran journalist of Canada, Terry Milewski has published a report stating that Khalistan movement is sponsored by Pakistan and it is posing threat to the national security of India and Canada as well.

About

Milewski report published by one of the think tank of Ottawa states that Pakistan launched insurgency in Indian Punjab through Indian Sikhs to avenge the defeat of 1971 Indo-Pak war.

India intervened in East Pakistan (Bangladesh) to stop the genocide carried out by Pakistan and consequently helped it liberate from West Pakistan.

The report points out that Pakistan is using Khalistan project as a strategic buffer and how independent Khalistan would pay way for Kashmir which has been Pakistan’s interest since 1947.

The report highlights the attitude of Sikhs who complain about Hindus who massacred thousand of Sikhs in 1984 but do not raise their voice against Islam when thousands of Sikhs were killed by Muslims in 1947 in the name of Islam.

US, UK and Canada have large communities of Sikh and they are not in the favor of referendum that was planned for November 2020. Canada has already denied recognizing the referendum.

The report says that majority of Sikhs are happy to be part of India and those who live in Indian Punjab even support the state government of Captain Amarinder Singh.

Khalistan Movement

The Punjab insurgency started in the early 1980s. It was an armed campaign against the government of India by a Sikh nationalist movement called the Khalistan movement. It developed into secessionist movement in 1980s. This movement got militant support from Pakistan. Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto has time and again supported the movement. During 1990s, the insurgency got weakened and the movement failed to reach its objective due to several reasons including a heavy police crackdown on separatists, factional infighting, and disillusionment from the Sikh population.

Chief Minister of Punjab Amarinder Singh asserted that the recent extremism is backed and supported by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and "Khalistani sympathisers" in Canada, Italy, and the UK.