1: Contrary to Sikh dominated Indian Punjab, Pakistani Punjab is Muslim dominated and is no longer a province of Punjabis any longer, other ethnicities have embraced the province and its culture.
To the Khalistanis (Not indian punjabis or moderate sikhs), their concept of Khalistan is not based on the current demographic and cultural/religious difference of the local populace...its more based on resurrecting a historical legacy that they believe was stolen from them as a result of colonization and partition...
May i remind you that punjab was to go to pakistan during partition and it was the Sikh efforts that secured Indian Punjab....so in their mind, Punjab as a whole is their dominion, not restricted to the indian state
2: Hassan Abdal and Nankana Sahib are Muslim majority areas,where we have taken genuine steps to allow unrestricted access to pilgrims from other provinces of Pakistan,India and other parts of the world. It by no means is a Sikh city.
Not a sikh city, but major sites of Sikh pilgrimage with a lot of historical linkages that bind them to these places...
3: By Indian constitution, Indian Punjab is your "internal" affair and the sikhs have an inherit right to self determination. It does not apply to Pakistan. There are hardly any sikhs to speak of.
I have a major problem with this idea that every, religious, ethnic, linguistic, tribal group has a right to a state or a political solution....by allowing these ideas, we as a nation create fault lines within our unity...
Democracy does not mean that everyone gets a bloody country as and when they want it....this isnt a game of civilization...
Its meant to provide a platform for political representation to further the betterment of the general community...i feel like people in India and elsewhere need to get the basics of democracy
4: Even if Khalistan becomes a reality,and they lay claim to Lahore and other "holy sites" and they want to go on a "conquering spree" than they will be up against the world's 6th largest Army on one side and 3rd largest on the other...is that a smart strategy?....lets say war breaks out, between Pakistan and Khalistan. But before that they will have to build a military force for 30 years to establish a deterrent and then grow their offensive capability to attack on Pakistan and defend against India at the same time. Pakistan has strategic weapons, such a miscalculation will be disastrous for Khalistan....they are more likely to lose territory.
You hit the bullseye...
An independent state of Khalistan will be a soldier with no feet...
It will be a puppet state and a cripple state that will be dependent on India or Pakistan for everything from oil, to trade, to transit to even water...
If they want their "historical" lands in Pakistan back, they will need the massive Indian backing...which lets be honest...why would India help them after they seccede from us...we are not in the business of fighting others wars..
Lets assume that India does help them, then its another added headache for Pakistan since now you have an independent buffer state where you cant directly attack india from but is equally vicious to you....pak will simply have another hardcore enemy to deal with and a territorial dispute that currently restricts to J&K but will now include Pak Punjab as well...
On the other hand, if they are Pak allies, be certain that India will use its traditional connections and history with the locals to sway politics in that state in their favor...even to the extent of causing unrest...
Essentially the needle will move but wont make a dent...
5: I don't see them laying a claim on our cities as credible threat to Pakistan. I believe that they don't deserve a state, if they do make a state it will be troublesome because most of us are multicultural states. Having a chauvinist singular state in this region will be disastrous,i am just against that narrative. They should just calm down and accept that they aren't capable of carving out a state from India. Its better for them to live as loyal citizens of India and stop such efforts at once.
I agree...though I will say this...
A homogenous country with a singular religion does have fewer problems....take for example, Japan and Turkey..
The demand for Khalistan has not been thought through...With 2 massive neighbors like India and Pak...the state has minimal to no chances of surviving without being a puppet!