HOSHIARPUR Pro-freedom Sikh group Dal Khalsa on Tuesday observed its 46^th foundation day here, that was dedicated to two prominent Sikh leaders Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed by Indian agencies in Canada last year, and Dal Khalsa founder Gajinder, who passed away in Lahore last month. The Sikh leaders participating the event urged United States, United Kingdom, European Union nations and Canada to recognize Sikh struggle for right to self determination. 

Hundreds of youth associated with Dal Khalsa supported by Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) undertook the march under the nomenclature of ‘Freedom March’ and raised slogans favoring Punjab’s independence from Indian yoke. They were carrying Sikh flags symbolizing the Sikh sovereignty and pictures of Nijjar and Gajinder Singh. 

Before the march, a convention was held at local Gurdwara by the Dal Khalsa, in which SAD (Amritsar) president and former Member of Parliament Simranjit Singh Mann was a chief guest. 

Mann while addressing the gathering said theirs organizations (Dal Khalsa and SAD (Amritsar) would jointly wage a political struggle to protect and uphold the interests and rights of Punjab and its people. He fired a salvo against Modi dispensation for engineering the assassination of Paramjit Singh Panjwar and Hardeep Singh Nijjar on foreign soils. 

The importance of the right to self-determination and its application to Punjab was discussed at a conference. “Despite becoming a cornerstone of international law, self-determination is being denied to many struggling nationalities and minorities, ” said Kanwar Pal Singh, senior leader of Dal Khalsa. 

He said, “In India, there is a vilification of proponents of self-determination, often perpetrated by the state, labelling self-determination activists as extremists or even terrorists”. 

Youth were carrying placards in this regard on which it was written that “Self-determination” is a key to world peace. The organizers urged the international community to allow people of Punjab to exercise their right to self-determination as per the United Nations charter. 

Dal Khalsa working president Paramjit Singh Mand, addressing the youth at Dr Ambedkar chowk said the application of self determination is especially crucial in South Asia to resolve conflicts including the Punjab dispute in a peaceful and just manner. He termed BJP and AAP as Janus-faced. 

On Narendra Modi’s call for hoisting Tiranga at every house, the Dal Khalsa leaders saw a design behind it. 

Mand said their groups rejected and challenged the imposition of pseudo nationalism being imposed by Hindutva forces in the guise of hoisting Tiranga in Punjab. On Narendra Modi’s call for hoisting Tiranga at every house, the Dal Khalsa leaders sees a design behind it. He said their groups rejected and challenged the imposition of pseudo nationalism being imposed by Hindutva forces in the guise of hoisting Tiranga in Punjab.