The nation of twelve million Sikhs trapped in India since the partition of the country in 1947 is determined to establish a separate Sikh state.
The new state will comprise the Sikh-majority areas in north Western India, involving East Punjab (new called Punjab), Himachel province, and Haryana province, sub-divided by India in 1967, and a part of Rajasthan province settled by Sikh refugees from Pakistan. In other words, the Sikh state will cover the Punjabi speaking districts of East Punjab and Ganganagar district. The Sikh sovereign republic of Khalistan will have an area of more than 85,000 square miles. It will be bigger than certain states of India. It will be larger than forty-eight countries of the world. Its population of about twelve to fourteen million will exceed that of several other countries.
According to the present ratio Sikhs will form a little more than half of the population of the Sikh state. Khalistan will be located as a buffer country between Pakistan and India, with a port access to the Arabian Sea. With estimated annual (1974) revenue of sixteen crores of rupees (approximately 160 million rupees) it would easily be viable economically. In fact, the area will continue to produce a surplus of food grains, and support industries of its own.1.
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- Randhawa, Dr. M.S., “The Role of Sikhs in India’s Green Revolution”, The Sikh Courier, 88, Mollison Way, Edgware, Middlesex, London.
