Terming the blacklist of Sikhs as nothing but a tool for witch-hunting of overseas Sikhs at the hands of India’s security establishment, the Sikh radical outfit, Dal Khalsa, on Friday shot of an open letter to Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh raising vital questions and explaining the background and complexities of the issue.
The letter, by Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh, was in reference to Capt Amarinder’s meeting with rthe Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh wherein he had appealed to do away with the Sikhs’ blacklist. “It is made to understand that the list contains names of those abroad settled Sikhs who are actively pursuing the campaign for right to self-determination and police atrocities on Sikhs in Punjab…On the face of it, your move sounds fair but the timing has raised eyebrows. There are reasons to believe that it's a cover up after your Harjit Singh Sajjan fiasco,” read the letter.
Accusing Capt Amarinder of “double standards”, the letter maintained that the Chief Minister publicly claimed that his refusal to meet the Canadian Sikh Minister was because of his Khalistani leanings, but on the other hand, he sought deletion of names from the blacklist, who, in the eyes of Indian Government, have Khalistani leanings.
“Your predecessor Parkash Singh Badal too raked up the issue whenever he felt cornered on Panthic fronts and sometimes to play to the gallery. To score brownie points, there was chest thumping by Badals when the Union government pruned the list in April last year,” he pointed.
The letter added that ‘release of Sikhs detainees’, ‘scrapping of the black list’ and ‘punishing the perpetrators of November 1984 genocide’ and ‘rights abuses’ are some of the emotive issues that are very much alive in the collective minds of the community. All these issues are interlinked and directly relate to the Sikh struggle for Khalistan., he added
Dal Khalsa spokesperson asked Capt Amarinder that in case he was serious in helping those persons out, who desire to return to their native land, it is necessary to understand the background and complexities of the issue. He also raised the question of authentication and legality of the blacklist, its criterion, and charges, among other things. “For us, the question is not of deleting few names or scrapping of the unlawful list. The basic question is will India allow the so-called blacklisted person to visit their native land and Darbar Sahib and return back without compromising on their ideology and principles. I have serious doubts,” he added.