SFJ pledges $1 billion for Trump-led Board of Peace to advance Khalistan campaign
Washington: The US-based Sikh organization Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has intensified its campaign for a separate homeland, Khalistan, announcing to give one billion dollars for the first official meeting of the Donald Trump-led Board of Peace.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the announcement was made at a large gathering in Washington, attended by hundreds of members of the Sikh community from across the United States. Speakers at the event described the Khalistan issue as an unresolved political dispute that, they said, should be addressed through diplomatic and democratic means.
Participants of the protest said their goal is to become member of the Board of Peace and pursue the independence of Punjab from India through peaceful and democratic process.
SFJ General Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said that Khalistan referendum supporters are being targeted in fake encounters and that over 11,000 Sikh youths have been arrested due to their political beliefs and labeled as gangsters. He urged the US President Donald Trump to engage with Indian leadership and support the holding of a referendum in Indian Punjab under the supervision of the US State Department.
Experts say the initiative appears to be an attempt to bring the Khalistan demand into mainstream political discourse in the United States. They note that such developments could have implications for India-US relations, although organizers maintain that their objective is to seek a peaceful and democratic resolution to the issue.
