Why Khalistanis are wrong on Article 370

I was embarrassed, anguished, and disgusted beyond belief; when I saw pictures of Khalistanis protesting alongside the Pakistani flag outside Indian consulates in London and San Francisco. What anguished me the most was the ignorance and lack of knowledge of history among these rabid protesters screaming on top of their lungs, displaying their uncontrollable rage in a ugly spectacle in front of the world.

Khalistani Protesters and Pakistani Flag

What was the Commotion About?

These Khalistanis were protesting against the Indian government for abolishing Article 370, a temporary constitution Amendment made in 1952 to award special status to Kashmiris.

Kashmiri Flags in Sikh Protest on Referandum 2020

But why Sikhs were there?  Well, some Sikhs feel that what happened to Kashmir will happen to Punjab next. This assumption is the biggest folly and demonstrates the ignorance of the protesters. Here is why:

• Modi government abolished Artcle 370 that gave a special status to Kashmir while Punjab is already a state of Indian republic.
• Moving forward, the Kashmiris will enjoy the same rights as the rest of the Indian so how can this be termed as a negative move. In fact it makes all Indians equal - Punjabis, Gujaratis, Bihari, or Kashmiris
• Punjab has  democratically elected government belonging to the party in opposition to Modi's BJP so what can Modi do about it? Nothing.

The Flags

Notice the two green flags in the above two pictures.  The green flag with crescent is the flag of Pakistan originated from the flag of pro-partition Muslim League. The same flag that was carried by the rioters on the streets of West Punjab when they massacred Sikhs and Hindus and burned or looted their properties.

Jinnah with Pakistani Flag

To many Punjabis from West Pakistan, this flag represents religious hatred that resulted in ethnic cleansing to create a "Pure" or "Pak" nation they called Pakistan. How can these Khalsitanis stand under that flag knowing very well that it was used by genocidal mobs to annihilate our brothers and sisters belonging to Sikh community? But it is entirely possible that these Khalistani hooligans are completely ignorant of this historical fact.

The second flag with green and white stripes and a crescent is the flag of Jammu and Kashmir state. Now lets discuss the infamy of this flag and its relation to the Sikhs. The Mirpur Massacre was the killing estimated 20,000+ Hindu and Sikh refugees in Mirpur of today's Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, by armed Jehadi tribesmen and Kashmiri separatists on November 25, 1947.

Mirpur district had about 75,000 Hindu and Sikhs, amounting to 20 percent of the population. A great majority of them lived in the principal towns of Mirpur, Kotli and Bhimber. Refugees from Jhelum and Rawalpindi region of Western Punjab had taken also taken refuge in the Mirpur town.

Hindu ans Sikh Refugees of Partition

Jehadi militants entered the city on the morning of November 25 and set several parts of the city on fire, causing chaos and turmoil across the city. Large-scale rioting took place. The minority Sikhs and Hindus were marched to Alibeg, where a Gurdwara was converted into a prison camp, but the raiders killed 10,000 of the captives along the way and abducted about 5,000 women. Hindu and Sikh women were raped and abducted. Many number of women committed mass suicide to avoid rape and abduction. The estimates measure the death toll at over 20,000.

Punjabis evacuated from Kashmir

The survivors arrived in Jammu but to add to their misery, the Jammu and Kashmir government refused to give them citizenship status and associated benefits for refugees of partition. Eventually Indian Airforce evacuated these unfortunate survivors and settled them in other parts of India.

Its worthy of reminding that it was the Sikh regiment who were airdropped to protect Srinangar and Kashmir from the marauding Jehadi tribesmen and Kashmiri separatists.

Sikh Regiment protecting Srinagar in 1947                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Historical Relationship between Article 370 and Sikhs

Article 370 of the Indian constitution gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir—allowing it to have a separate constitution, a state flag and autonomy over the internal administration of the state. This article, along with Article 35A, limited citizenship, ownership of property, and fundamental rights to the Kashmiris only. As a result of this provision, Indian citizens from other states could not purchase land or property in Jammu & Kashmir.

So what was the need for preventing Non-Kashmiris from settling in Kashmir? Who was trying to enter Kashmir and settle there? This law was primarily drafted to prevent the refugees from West Pakistan settling in Kshmir - the Sikhs and Hindus who were forced to leave their ancestral homes in Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, NW Frontiers, and Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

Sikh Refugees from Pakistan

So, the question arises, why did the Kashmir and Indian governments did not want Punjabis settling in Kashmir? This article was the brainchild of Sheikh Abdulla, a pro-democracy Kashmiri Muslim leader, Raja Hari Singh, the Hindu Dogra chief from Jammu, and Jawaharlal Nehru, a Kashmiri Pundit. They felt that the influx of refugees from Pakistan will change the demography of Kashmir forever. 

The fact is that Article 370 and 35A were used to discriminate against the Sikhs and Hindus from West Punjab in Kashmir. The government of India revoked this special status in August 2019 through a Presidential Order and the passage of a resolution in Parliament. This revocation brings parity and equality among all citizens and ends the discrimination against the Hindu and Sikh refugees from Pakistan. 

Then shouldn't the Sikhs welcome revocation of Article 370? Then why are these bafoons belonging to Khalistan supporters protesting and stamping on Indian flag like possessed maniacs?

I see this as is a perfect example of "Begaani Shaadi mein Abdulla Deewana" by Khalistanis who are ignorant and uneducated on their own history.

The Right Thing to do

I am a firm believer in rights of all humankind to determine their sovereignty but I will never support this kind of hooliganism, ignorance, and  will never be subordinate to the Pakistani flag. When the Sikhs came forward to support the Kashmiri students under attack after Pulwana bombing, it was the right thing to do. Giving shelter in Punjab to these scared students was the duty of all Sikhs.

Jathedar of Akal Takht, Giani Harpreet Singh urged to the Sikh community to come forward and make it their “religious duty” to defend and protect the honor of Kashmiri girls who were being humiliated by certain political leaders and others on the social media. It was the right thing to do. 

Standing up for the human rights of all humankind, including Kashmiris is the duty of all Sikhs, But it goes too far when Khalistanis stand under Pakistan flag when everyday Sikh soldiers are getting killed by Pakistani Army on the border or by Kashmiri separatists.

Father of a Martyred Sikh Soldier

Courtesy 

References and Content Based on following published articles:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1947_Mirpur_massacre

https://www.dailyo.in/politics/khalistani-protest-in-london-pakistan-khalistan-kashmir-partition/story/1/31923.html

https://www.dailyo.in/politics/jammu-and-kashmir-pakistan-gilgit-baltistan-hindus-sikhs-1947-partition-karan-singh-poonch-muzaffarabad/story/1/12632.html

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/11/forgotten-massacre-ignited-kashmir-dispute-171106144526930.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41662588

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1947_Poonch_rebellion

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1947_Jammu_massacres

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_370_of_the_Constitution_of_India

https://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/en/NewsDetail/index/9/17429/A-Story-of--Compassion---When-Sikhs-Rescued-Kashmiri-Girls-Stranded-in-Patna