Stepping up its campaign for self-rule without any domination from India, Dal Khalsa is holding a ‘Right to Self-determination March’ at Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana and Zira in the Punjab on 26 January as India will celebrate its seventieth Republic Day across the country.

Volunteers and activists of Dal Khalsa will march on the streets of three Punjab cities carrying Sikh Flags and placards in their hands to convey their clarion call for the right to self-determination for the people of Punjab.

“We believe the only way forward to resolve the Indo-Sikh social, religious, cultural and political disputes is to set in motion the process for the right to self-determination with the UN standing as guarantor.”

Speaking to the World Sikh News, Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwarpal Singh said that “this is a move to prepare Sikhs and other Punjabis to understand the nuances of this peaceful method to get the right of self determination under the UN treaties and conventions and to reiterate how since Nehru’s speech of 3 June 1947, India has sustained its negative posture to this.”

Young leader Ranvir Singh holding aloft the banner of revolt, proclaimed that “we all know India’s political stand on the subject but we reiterate that India is duty bound to honour its international commitment by virtue of being signatory to relevant UN conventions and covenants.  The young teacher-leader of the Sikh Youth of Punjab Prof Paramjit Singh Mand said “self-determination is the inalienable right of all nationalities and peoples, including the people of Punjab.”

While 26 January is celebrated as Republic day in India, our march on the streets of Punjab would be a follow up of this right and a launch pad for engaging Indian rulers regarding their duties, commitment and obligations under the Indian constitution and international law. It is also our intention to “highlight India’s constitutional wrongs, injustices and denials.”

The statement issued at the press meet read, ‘The Indian Constitution has robbed the Sikhs of their distinct identity and granted impunity to security forces to unleash terror on dissenting people.’

Matching and countering the efforts of the government, while the Punjab government will hold state-level Republic Day functions in Hoshiapur and other cities and towns of Punjab, the revolutionary Sikh body -Dal Khalsa will hold marches in three cities to build a crescendo in favour of the right to self-determination.

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Terming January 26 as a black day for the Sikh nation, the party leaders reiterated that, “Sikhs of Punjab are peacefully and democratically struggling to get this right but the hawkish Indian state portrays our demand as separatist and classifies it as illegal and parochial.”

18 January 2019, Amritsar, WSN News Desk