Fifty Sikh scholars, from the United States of America, Canada and the United Kingdom, in a bold and timely missive to the board of the 10-year-old Canadian think tank -Macdonald-Laurier Institute -have sought a retraction of its decision to publish veteran India-hand reporter Terry Milewski’s report – “Khalistan: a project of Pakistan,” calling the contents vitriolic, fallacious and far from the truth. In a direct dismissal of the report, the Sikh Scholars Response -a unique effort, says, “The report is shockingly un-Canadian in every aspect, from a lack of respect for free speech to a parroting of a foreign, Indian government narrative on Khalistani activism. Without any critical analysis, the author completely disregards the valid grievances and grassroots advocacy of the Sikh community.”

EXPRESSING THEIR DEEP CONCERN AND CONSTERNATION AT THE MACDONALD-LAURIER INSTITUTE’S REPORT “KHALISTAN -A PROJECT OF PAKISTAN” published by the think tank which is celebrating its ten years of existence as a public policy body, fifty Sikh academics working closely with the Sikh community have expressed deep concern that the report contains a litany of unsubstantiated allegations.

Appealing to the good sense of the think-tank’s evaluators, the Sikhs scholars have categorically declared that the lack of academic integrity and the gravity of the accusations being levelled against a highly visible, racialized community has damaged the credibility and reputation of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and its claim to policy analysis produced with integrity that is evidence-based and without bias.

“We are particularly concerned with the manner in which the report casts wide aspersions on a highly visible, racialized community, engaged in legitimate advocacy. The report maligns all Sikh-Canadians engaging in advocacy as extremist and foreign-influenced actors. This is especially concerning as so many of these advocates and activists are rigorous critics of both India and Pakistan’s record regarding minority rights.”

The Terry Milewski report maligns all Sikh-Canadians engaging in advocacy as extremist and foreign-influenced actors. This is especially concerning as so many of these advocates and activists are rigorous critics of both India and Pakistan’s record regarding minority rights.”

The scholars, making no bones about the intention of the author of the report -a veteran journalist who is an old India expert, say that the report, “damages the credibility of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute as it lacks adequate academic rigour, historical and contextually-based journalistic analysis, and balance.”

Questioning the intention of the author, the authors of the appeal to the Institute to withdraw the report reads, “The report’s characterization of the Khalistan movement is also surprisingly simplistic and incomplete. The author’s narrative completely erases the political context in which the Khalistani struggle for self-determination took place in the 1980 and 1990s—a struggle no international group, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Physicians for Human Rights, cast aside as simply “terrorist.” Instead, like all militant movements and armed conflicts across the world, serious questions under humanitarian law and human rights law were raised.”

The author’s narrative completely erases the political context in which the Khalistani struggle for self-determination took place in the 1980s and 1990s.

Hitting at the bias in the report, the scholars have said that a mere glance at the “Reference” section shows that the author of the report of an important topic has browsed through one-sided literature which shows, “lack of literature review or effort to triangulate claims. ”Though projected as objective policy analysis, “it actually reads as a scattered collection of opinions and vague allegations; it is a simplistic and single worldview.”

“Mr. Milewski misses the opportunity to provide a meaningful policy analysis based on facts that would further the Institute’s aims of making “poor quality public policy in Ottawa unacceptable.”

“Canada, as a non-aligned state in terms of regional geopolitics, is meaningfully positioned to benefit marginalized groups in both countries (India and Pakistan.)”

Giving another example of the political rhetoric of reporter Milewski, the conglomerate of scholars cite that, “The report neither cites nor explains that simply holding a political opinion for “Khalistan” is not illegal even under India’s own laws that allow demanding separation from the country, as long as the demand does not call for arms or incite violence….The author repeatedly demonstrates a commitment to telling only one side of the story.”

Calling for the complete retraction of the report, the scholars conclude by saying that, “Canada, as a non-aligned state in terms of regional geopolitics, is meaningfully positioned to benefit marginalized groups in both countries (India and Pakistan.)”

”Though projected as objective policy analysis, “it actually reads as a scattered collection of opinions and vague allegations; it is a simplistic and single worldview.”

The august repertoire of Sikh scholars who signed the appeal to the Macdonald-Laurier Institute include Dr. Amrita Kaur Sukhi, Lecturer, University of Toronto, Dr. Anne Murphy, Associate Professor, Department of Asian Studies, UBC, Dr. Anneeth Kaur Hundle, Dhan Kaur Sahota Presidential Chair in Sikh Studies at the University of California, Irvine School of Social Sciences, Dr. Arvind-Pal S. Mandair, Associate Professor of Sikh Studies, University of Michigan, Dr. Balbinder Bhogal, The Sardarni Kuljit Kaur Bindra Endowed Chair in Sikh Studies and Professor of Religion, Hofstra University, Dr. Bhavjinder Kaur Dhillon, Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, Dipin Kaur, Yale University, Gurbeer Singh, PhD Student, University of California, Riverside , Dr. Gurcharan Singh, Adjunct Research Professor, Carleton University, Ottawa, Gurinder Singh Mann (UK), Director Sikh Museum Initiative, Oxford University Published, Prof Gurnam Singh, University of Warwick, UK, Dr. Gurnam Singh Sanghera, Visiting Professor, ‘Centre for Studies on Sri Guru Granth Sahib,’ at Guru Nanak Dev University., Harinder Singh, Senior Fellow, Research & Policy, Sikh Research Institute, Dr. Harjeet Singh Grewal, Instructor of Sikh Studies, Department of Classics and Religion, University of Calgary, Dr. Hafsa Kanjwal, Department of History, Lafayette College, Harleen Kaur, PhD candidate, UCLA, Dr. Harpreet Singh, Sikhism Scholar, Harvard University, H Bindy Kaur Kang-Dhillon, PhD Candidate, Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program, UBC, Dr, Indira Prahst, Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, Langara College, Dr. Inderpal Grewal, Yale university, Dr. Idrisa Pandit, Director of Studies in Islam, University of Waterloo, Dr. Jagdeep Singh Walia, Department of Pediatrics, Queen’s University, Dr. Jakeet Singh, Department of Politics, York University, Dr Jasjit Singh, Associate Professor, University of Leeds (UK), Jasleen Singh, PhD (c), University of Michigan, Dr. Jaspreet Bal, Professor, Humber College, Dr. Jugdep Singh Chima, Hiram College, Dr. Kamal Arora, Instructor, University of the Fraser Valley, Kiranjot Chahal, PhD Humanities, York University, Khushdeep Kaur, PhD Candidate, Temple University, Dr. Simran Jeet Singh, Union Seminary, Mallika Kaur, UC Berkeley School of Law, Dr. Manpreet Kaur, MD MS, Associate Professor, Stanford University, Dr. Michael Hawley, Associate Professor of Sikh History, Mount Royal University, Dr. Michael Nijhawan, Associate Professor, Sociology, York University, Narinder Kaur, University College London, UK, Dr. Nirvikar Singh, Distinguished Professor of Economics, University of California, Santa Cruz, Prabhdeep Singh Kehal, PhD Candidate, Brown University, Prabhsharanbir Singh, Instructor, Department of Sociology, UBC, Prabhsharandeep Singh Sandhu, DPhil, University of Oxford, Rajbir Singh Judge, Assistant Professor, Department of History, California State University, Dr. Sara Grewal, Assistant Professor of Postcolonial Studies, Gender and Race, MacEwan University, Sasha Sabherwal, PhD (c), Yale University, Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra, PhD (c), University of the Fraser Valley History, Dr. Shruti Devgan, Bowdoin College, Simran Kaur Saini, PhD (c), York University, Simratpal Singh, Ph.D Candidate, University of Manitoba, Sonia Aujla-Bhullar PhD (c), University of Calgary, Tejpaul Bainiwal, PhD. Candidate Sikh Studies, UC Riverside, Dr. Tarnjit Kaur, PhD Physics, Dr. Tavleen Kaur, University of Wolverhampton, Dr. Pashaura Singh, Distinguished Professor and Saini Chair in Sikh Studies, University of California, Riverside, Dr. Preet Kaur Virdi, Adjunct Assistant Professor, CUNY