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Council of Khalistan

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Council of Khalistan
Formation12 April 1980
PurposeKhalistan movement
HeadquartersWashington, D.C.
President
Bakhshish Singh Sandhu
Websitehttps://councilofkhalistan.com

The Council of Khalistan is a non‐profit political organization based in Washington, D.C., United States.[1] It is seeking to create a homeland for Sikhs by establishing a sovereign state called Khalistan.[2] The Council of Khalistan is one of the key fighting forces of the Khalistan movement.[3] It played important role during the Insurgency in Punjab.[4][5][6]

The organization was created On 12 April 1980, when separatist leader Jagjit Singh Chohan officially announced the formation of the Council of Khalistan at Anandpur Sahib and declared himself to be the president. Balbir Singh Sindhu as its Secretary-General. Chohan presented himself as the president of the Republic of Khalistan, set up a cabinet, and issued Khalistani passports, stamps, and currency. On 13 June 1984, Chohan announced a government in exile. On 24 January 1993, It was briefly admitted in the UNPO, as a representative of Khalistan, but was suspended in just a few months.[7][8][9][10][11][12]

List of presidents

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The president of the Council of Khalistan is the leader and head of the organization. The title was created in 1980 when Jagjit Singh Chohan declared himself to be the president. There have been three presidents of CoK since the post was established.

S. No. Name Portrait Term start Term end Time in office Ref.
1. Jagjit Singh Chohan 12 April 1980 7 October 1987 7 years, 178 days [13]
2. Gurmit Singh Aulakh 7 October 1987 21 June 2017 29 years, 257 days [14]
3. Bakhshish Singh Sandhu 7 October 2017 Incumbent 7 years, 33 days [15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Shani, Giorgio (2007). Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age. Routledge Advances in South Asian Studies. Routledge. ISBN 9781134101887. The Council of Khalistan emerged from a factional split within the WSO and has been run since its inception by Dr Gurmit Singh Aulakh from an office in Washington, DC. Dr Aulakh, who has built up a reputation as an effective lobbyist, is the president of the Council of Khalistan and is widely accepted as the unofficial spokesman for the Sikh 'nation' in the US, where he has tirelessly campaigned for the establishment of an independent Sikh homeland. Originally a member of the WSO, Dr Aulakh left in 1986 to establish the International Sikh Organisation. After having been appointed to represent the Sikhs in North America by the Panthic Committee in the Punjab, Dr Aulakh founded the Council of Khalistan and has managed to attract the support of, and more importantly funding from, American gurdwaras (Tatla 1999:121). The Council of Khalistan is registered with the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington, DC, under the Foreign Agents Registration Act as an agent of the Council of Khalistan, Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjab (Council of Khalistan 2007).
  2. ^ Rajagopalan, Swarna (2014). "The Demand for Khalistan". Security and South Asia: Ideas, Institutions and Initiatives. Routledge. ISBN 9781317809470. The Council of Khalistan Website is among the many devoted to Sikh politics in India and abroad. Funded largely by Dr. Gurmat Sikh Aulakh, the self-designated president of the Council of Khalistan, the organization, according to its Website, operates out of Washington, DC as a representative of the Council of Khalistan, ostensibly located in the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab. Sikh grievances, chiefly those against the Indian state, are tracked and highlighted on the site. Advocating principally for self-determination and the liberation of Khalistan from Indian occupation', the Council of Khalistan, however, urges its supporters to pursue and protect globally the fundamental rights of the 'Sikh nation' regardless of citizenship. Protests against the French government's restrictions on Sikhs wearing turbans in public institutions or an assessment of India's human rights record at Congressional hearings are profiled under the latest news on the struggle for a free Khalistan, as are news items culled from small towns in the United States, for example, Sikh individuals or community organizations protesting hate crimes against minority populations. The Council of Khalistan seeks to build support for a 'sovereign, independent Khalistan', but the Website presents few concrete strategies or tactics for 'liberating' Khalistan.
  3. ^ Downing, John Derek Hall (2011). Encyclopedia of Social Movement Media. SAGE. p. 290. ISBN 9780761926887.
  4. ^ "Letter by Council of Khalistan to Indian Minister Preneet Kaur". sikhsiyasat.net. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  5. ^ Rajagopalan, Swarna (2014-03-21). Security and South Asia: Ideas, Institutions and Initiatives. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-80947-0.
  6. ^ Simmons, Mary Kate (1997). Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization: yearbook. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. ISBN 978-90-411-0223-2.
  7. ^ Thomas, Jo (1984-06-14). "London Sikh Assumes Roe of Exile Chief". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  8. ^ "Khalistani Delegation Testifies at United Nations – Hon. Dan Burton (Extension of Remarks - August 07, 1998)". irp.fas.org. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  9. ^ Das, Bornika (2022-06-05). "Explained: Is the Khalistani movement reviving in Punjab?". NewsroomPost. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  10. ^ "National Council of Khalistan top leader blasts India over brutalities against minorities in India". Times of Islamabad. 2019-02-06. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  11. ^ "Press Release From Council of Khalistan". nscn.livejournal.com. 12 May 2007. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  12. ^ "Khalistan Flag Hoisted in California". www.sikhtimes.com. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  13. ^ "Khalistan founder dies of heart attack". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  14. ^ "Icon of Khalistan Movement Dr Gurmit Singh Aulakh Passes Away". The Sikh24. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  15. ^ "Council of Khalistan Nominates Successor After Passing Away of Dr. Aulakh". The Sikh24. 10 October 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
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