Sikh soldiers should refuse engaging in offense against Pakistan: World Sikh Parliament

LONDON: The World Sikh Parliament while advising Sikhs not to become a part of Indian extremism against Pakistan has urged Sikh soldiers to avoid taking part in any action against Pakistan.

In a policy statement the World Sikh Parliament (WSP) said that Hindutva chauvinism is responsible for the current crisis in South Asia which has brought nuclear armed Pakistan and India to the brink of war.

The WSP said that the events following the Pulwama attack showed India’s incessant journey to an ever more right-wing Hindu extremist position, in terms of its treatment of other nations, minorities and even neighbouring states.

It said that the spectre of full-scale war with Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir has, quite rightly, led to global alarm and even casual observers of the crisis will know that the current crisis is being driven entirely by the vote bank politics of the forthcoming Indian general elections.

The statement said that the Indian government has launched an anti-Pakistan campaign desperately vying to play the ultra-nationalist card in order to gain the Hindutva vote and this is being done at the expense of the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir and, in case of war, the people of Punjab where experts have long believed that any military conflict will be largely fought.

“The Sikh homeland in Indian-controlled Punjab, which itself is going through its own struggle for self-determination, is therefore at the heart of the issue and the World Sikh Parliament will hold India strictly to account for any loss of life or destruction in our homeland.”

The WSP urged the Indians to stop using the Sikh homeland and Sikh troops in its military aggression against Pakistan. “The Sikh nation is not a party to the Indo-Pak conflict and our homeland and resources must not be utilised for that purpose.”

“We call on Sikh soldiers serving in Indian forces, in case of war, to refuse to engage in offensive actions and instead to go to Punjab to protect its people in the face of an existential threat to the Sikh nation and other Punjabis. The World Sikh Parliament extends its full support to those in Kashmir who are struggling to secure self-determination in accordance with international law,” the statement added.