11-29-2018, 11:59 PM
*** 30-Nov-18 World View -- Pakistan and India agree to support Sikhs, as separatist violence surges in Kashmir
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Kashmir experiences bloodiest year since 2009
****
![[Image: g181129b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g181129b.jpg)
Sikh radical pro-Khalistan supporters in Trafalgar Square, London, in August (AFP)
November was the bloodiest month of the year for separatist militants
in Indian-controlled Kashmir. According to official figures from
Indian security forces, 37 separatist militants were killed in
November, and 227 militants have been killed in Kashmir this year.
The Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), which
supports the separatist militants, does not dispute those figures, but
goes farther and says that 2018 was the bloodiest year for everyone in
Kashmir since 2009. JKCCS says that 528 people were killed in Kashmir
in 2018, of which 145 were civilians, 234 were separatist rebels, and
142 were Indian security personnel.
As I've written in the past,
there
are three major Pakistan-sponsored jihadist groups operating in
Kashmir. Hizbul Mujahedeen (HM) is an indigenous, home-grown jihadist
group that became considerably more violent after the July 8 2016 death of HM leader Burhan Wani in a gunfight with the Indian army.
Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) is a
relatively new indigenous jihadist group. Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) is a
Pakistan-based terrorist group that was formed in the 1990s by
Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency to fight India in
the disputed regions of Kashmir and Jammu. Hindustan Times and Al Jazeera
****
**** India and Pakistan approve the Kartarpur Corridor, connecting Sikh shrines
****
With India and Pakistan almost always apparently close to a state of
war, with Kashmir at the epicenter, it's surprising that they can
agree to anything significant. But that seems to have happened,
although ulterior motives abound on both sides.
India and Pakistan have both endorsed the Kartarpur Corridor, a
visa-free path that permits Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit the gurdwara
(Sikh shrine) known as the Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, associated with
the founder of Sikhism, Sri Guru Nanak Sahib Ji, or just Guru Nanak.
Politicians in both India and Pakistan have been effusive in their
praise for this agreement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India drew
parallels with the fall of the Berlin wall, declaring, "Who thought
the Berlin Wall would fall. May be, with the blessings of Guru Nanak
Dev ji, Kartarpur corridor will not only be a corridor but can be a
reason to bring people together." In a similar vein, Prime Minister
Imran Khan of Pakistan, at the ground-breaking ceremony at Kartarpur
Sahib, expressed the sentiment that, "If France and Germany who fought
several wars can live in peace, why can't India and Pakistan?" A
number of other statements are in the same vein of intemperance,
including Indian Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu's statement, "The
corridor will become a symbol of love and peace between both
countries."
Going beyond the ebullient promises of "love and peace," Modi has in
the past refused to approve the Corridor, saying that Pakistan could
use it to radicalize Sikh separatists in the Khalistan movement.
However, the Modi's change of heart was rather sudden, and probably
driven by domestic considerations. April 15, 2019, will be the 550th
birthday of Sikh found Guru Nanak, and general elections will be held
in May, 2019. Refusing to open the Corridor would alienate millions
of Sikhs living in India, and motivate them to vote for the
opposition. South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP - India) and The Diplomat
****
**** Corridor raises concerns about activating the Sikh separatist Khalistan movement
****
Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539) founded Sikhism in the 16th century with
the goal of bringing peace to India at a time when the environment
heavily permeated with conflicts between the Hindu and Muslim
religions. His most famous saying is: "There is no Hindu, there is no
Muslim, so whose path shall I follow? I shall follow the path of God."
He was extremely charismatic. Today, there are 23 million Sikhs
worldwide, making Sikhism the 5th largest religion in the world, with
19 million Sikhs living in India, primarily in the state of Punjab.
However, Sikhism did not bring peace between Hindus and Muslims in
India. To the contrary, Sikh leaders began to militarize the Sikh
community, and Sikh military leaders captured more and more territory,
and in 1799 declared Punjab as an independent Sikh state. This was
the beginning of the "Khalistan" separatist movement. At that time
India was a British colony, and British troops defeated the Sikh
armies in the 1800s, decisively beating the Sikhs in 1849.
The seminal event for Sikhs in the 20th century was the April 10-12,
1919, with the Jalianvala Bagh Massacre (Amritsar Massacre), Some
10,000 Sikhs were holding a meeting protesting British colonial
policies in India, when British troops opened fire, killing hundreds.
This event convinced everyone -- the British, the Sikhs, the Hindus
and the Muslims -- that Britain had to give up control of India. This
led to the 1947 partitioning of the Indian subcontinent that created
India and Pakistan, and to the Partition War, one of the bloodiest
wars of the 20th century.
Sixty-four years after the Amritsar Massacre of 1919, in 1983, some
Sikh activists took refuge in the Golden Temple Complex at Amritsar,
the most revered place in the Sikh world. In June 1984 Indian troops
launched 'Operation Blue Star'. They attacked the Golden Temple
Complex, killing many of those inside, and seriously damaging the
buildings.
This infuriated the Sikhs, and revived the Khalistan separatist
movement. In October 1984, the world was shocked when India's prime
minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards.
Four days of anti-Sikh rioting followed in India. The government said
that more than 2,700 people, mostly Sikhs, were killed, while
newspapers and human rights groups put the death toll between 10,000
and 17,000.
The opening of the Kartarpur Corridor, which permits visa-free travel
between Sikh shrines in Pakistan and India, raises concerns that the
corridor will encourage activism among hardline Khalistan activists in
India, giving rise to yet another separatist movement to add to the
one by Muslims in Kashmir.
Sikh activists have already been holding rallies in London. In
August, a rally for "Punjab Referendum 2020," which calls for a Sikh
referendum to encourage separatism, was attended by 2,500 expatriate
Sikh hardliners, mostly from Britain. Indian officials say that the
Khalistan movement may be popular in London, but it's not catching on
in London.
India makes no effort to hide its irritation over allowing “a
separatist activity which impinged on India’s territorial integrity
and seeks to propagate violence, secessionism and hatred." Indian
intelligence agencies are wary of Khalistan radicals in London, as
London was the epicenter of a pro-Khalistan movement in the 1980s.
Discover Sikhism and Dawn (Pakistan, 12-July-2015) and Hindustan Times and HuffPost and Pluralism.org
Related Articles:
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, India, Pakistan, Kashmir,
The Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, JKCCS,
Operation All-Out, Lashkar-e-Toiba, LeT,
Hizbul Mujahedeen, HM, Burhan Wani, Jaish-e-Mohammad, JeM,
Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, Sri Guru Nanak Sahib Ji, Guru Nanak,
Kartarpur Corridor, Narendra Modi, Imran Khan,
Jalianvala Bagh Massacre, Amritsar Massacre,
Golden Temple Complex at Amritsar, Indira Gandhi,
Punjab Referendum 2020
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Kashmir experiences bloodiest year since 2009
- India and Pakistan approve the Kartarpur Corridor, connecting Sikh shrines
- Corridor raises concerns about activating the Sikh separatist Khalistan movement
****
**** Kashmir experiences bloodiest year since 2009
****
Sikh radical pro-Khalistan supporters in Trafalgar Square, London, in August (AFP)
November was the bloodiest month of the year for separatist militants
in Indian-controlled Kashmir. According to official figures from
Indian security forces, 37 separatist militants were killed in
November, and 227 militants have been killed in Kashmir this year.
The Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), which
supports the separatist militants, does not dispute those figures, but
goes farther and says that 2018 was the bloodiest year for everyone in
Kashmir since 2009. JKCCS says that 528 people were killed in Kashmir
in 2018, of which 145 were civilians, 234 were separatist rebels, and
142 were Indian security personnel.
As I've written in the past,
there
are three major Pakistan-sponsored jihadist groups operating in
Kashmir. Hizbul Mujahedeen (HM) is an indigenous, home-grown jihadist
group that became considerably more violent after the July 8 2016 death of HM leader Burhan Wani in a gunfight with the Indian army.
Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) is a
relatively new indigenous jihadist group. Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) is a
Pakistan-based terrorist group that was formed in the 1990s by
Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency to fight India in
the disputed regions of Kashmir and Jammu. Hindustan Times and Al Jazeera
****
**** India and Pakistan approve the Kartarpur Corridor, connecting Sikh shrines
****
With India and Pakistan almost always apparently close to a state of
war, with Kashmir at the epicenter, it's surprising that they can
agree to anything significant. But that seems to have happened,
although ulterior motives abound on both sides.
India and Pakistan have both endorsed the Kartarpur Corridor, a
visa-free path that permits Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit the gurdwara
(Sikh shrine) known as the Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, associated with
the founder of Sikhism, Sri Guru Nanak Sahib Ji, or just Guru Nanak.
Politicians in both India and Pakistan have been effusive in their
praise for this agreement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India drew
parallels with the fall of the Berlin wall, declaring, "Who thought
the Berlin Wall would fall. May be, with the blessings of Guru Nanak
Dev ji, Kartarpur corridor will not only be a corridor but can be a
reason to bring people together." In a similar vein, Prime Minister
Imran Khan of Pakistan, at the ground-breaking ceremony at Kartarpur
Sahib, expressed the sentiment that, "If France and Germany who fought
several wars can live in peace, why can't India and Pakistan?" A
number of other statements are in the same vein of intemperance,
including Indian Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu's statement, "The
corridor will become a symbol of love and peace between both
countries."
Going beyond the ebullient promises of "love and peace," Modi has in
the past refused to approve the Corridor, saying that Pakistan could
use it to radicalize Sikh separatists in the Khalistan movement.
However, the Modi's change of heart was rather sudden, and probably
driven by domestic considerations. April 15, 2019, will be the 550th
birthday of Sikh found Guru Nanak, and general elections will be held
in May, 2019. Refusing to open the Corridor would alienate millions
of Sikhs living in India, and motivate them to vote for the
opposition. South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP - India) and The Diplomat
****
**** Corridor raises concerns about activating the Sikh separatist Khalistan movement
****
Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539) founded Sikhism in the 16th century with
the goal of bringing peace to India at a time when the environment
heavily permeated with conflicts between the Hindu and Muslim
religions. His most famous saying is: "There is no Hindu, there is no
Muslim, so whose path shall I follow? I shall follow the path of God."
He was extremely charismatic. Today, there are 23 million Sikhs
worldwide, making Sikhism the 5th largest religion in the world, with
19 million Sikhs living in India, primarily in the state of Punjab.
However, Sikhism did not bring peace between Hindus and Muslims in
India. To the contrary, Sikh leaders began to militarize the Sikh
community, and Sikh military leaders captured more and more territory,
and in 1799 declared Punjab as an independent Sikh state. This was
the beginning of the "Khalistan" separatist movement. At that time
India was a British colony, and British troops defeated the Sikh
armies in the 1800s, decisively beating the Sikhs in 1849.
The seminal event for Sikhs in the 20th century was the April 10-12,
1919, with the Jalianvala Bagh Massacre (Amritsar Massacre), Some
10,000 Sikhs were holding a meeting protesting British colonial
policies in India, when British troops opened fire, killing hundreds.
This event convinced everyone -- the British, the Sikhs, the Hindus
and the Muslims -- that Britain had to give up control of India. This
led to the 1947 partitioning of the Indian subcontinent that created
India and Pakistan, and to the Partition War, one of the bloodiest
wars of the 20th century.
Sixty-four years after the Amritsar Massacre of 1919, in 1983, some
Sikh activists took refuge in the Golden Temple Complex at Amritsar,
the most revered place in the Sikh world. In June 1984 Indian troops
launched 'Operation Blue Star'. They attacked the Golden Temple
Complex, killing many of those inside, and seriously damaging the
buildings.
This infuriated the Sikhs, and revived the Khalistan separatist
movement. In October 1984, the world was shocked when India's prime
minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards.
Four days of anti-Sikh rioting followed in India. The government said
that more than 2,700 people, mostly Sikhs, were killed, while
newspapers and human rights groups put the death toll between 10,000
and 17,000.
The opening of the Kartarpur Corridor, which permits visa-free travel
between Sikh shrines in Pakistan and India, raises concerns that the
corridor will encourage activism among hardline Khalistan activists in
India, giving rise to yet another separatist movement to add to the
one by Muslims in Kashmir.
Sikh activists have already been holding rallies in London. In
August, a rally for "Punjab Referendum 2020," which calls for a Sikh
referendum to encourage separatism, was attended by 2,500 expatriate
Sikh hardliners, mostly from Britain. Indian officials say that the
Khalistan movement may be popular in London, but it's not catching on
in London.
India makes no effort to hide its irritation over allowing “a
separatist activity which impinged on India’s territorial integrity
and seeks to propagate violence, secessionism and hatred." Indian
intelligence agencies are wary of Khalistan radicals in London, as
London was the epicenter of a pro-Khalistan movement in the 1980s.
Discover Sikhism and Dawn (Pakistan, 12-July-2015) and Hindustan Times and HuffPost and Pluralism.org
Related Articles:
- India's Punjab state is 'on the boil' over violent Sikh protests (21-Oct-2015)
- Concerns raised for safety of Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus in America (06-Aug-2012)
- Number of Kashmir militants surges as India's 'Operation All-Out' fails (28-Sep-2018)
- India's Kashmir locked down after 3 civilians killed by police (09-Jul-2018)
- Pakistan celebrates its 70th birthday, wondering what Pakistan is (15-Aug-2017)
- India's Narendra Modi finally hits out at Cow Protectors ('Gau Rakshaks') (07-Aug-2016)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, India, Pakistan, Kashmir,
The Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, JKCCS,
Operation All-Out, Lashkar-e-Toiba, LeT,
Hizbul Mujahedeen, HM, Burhan Wani, Jaish-e-Mohammad, JeM,
Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, Sri Guru Nanak Sahib Ji, Guru Nanak,
Kartarpur Corridor, Narendra Modi, Imran Khan,
Jalianvala Bagh Massacre, Amritsar Massacre,
Golden Temple Complex at Amritsar, Indira Gandhi,
Punjab Referendum 2020
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
