WASHINGTON: Members of the Khalistan movement gathered Thursday outside the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, offering $1 billion to join the Board of Peace and hold a referendum on an independent Indian Punjab.
Speaking to Pakistan TV Digital, a protester said the funds were meant to “liberate our Punjab from Indian occupation.” He said the group supports President Trump’s initiative to stop wars worldwide and hopes to join the board to advance their cause.
“Since 1947, when Sikhs claimed their own independent state, the leaders of that time joined India’s Punjab. But for the last 80 years, Sikhs have faced persecution and atrocities,” he said. The protester added that the group seeks “liberation through a peaceful and democratic referendum.”
He also addressed India directly, saying, “Our message is clear. We want liberation from India through a peaceful and democratic process. Modi tried to assassinate Khalistan movement leaders, but he failed. We will not take a step back and will fight till the liberation of Punjab.”
The President of the Council of Khalistan, Dr Bakshish Singh Sandhu, said the proposal includes a $1 billion donation to fund an official referendum. “Currently, Khalistan, under Indian control, is subjected to genocide, econocide, and transnational assassinations. We are here at the Board of Peace so the sovereignty conflict of Punjab can be resolved amicably through a referendum vote, which is legal and peaceful,” he said.
Sandhu added that joining the Board of Peace would establish geopolitical support with the US and reduce the risk of nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan.
Protesters displayed a large check from Sikhs for Justice reading “$1 billion for Khalistan referendum” and “for liberating Punjab from Indian occupation,” with the years “1984-2026” printed on it.
The Khalistan movement seeks an independent homeland for the Sikh community, known as Khalistan, in the Punjab region. It dates back to the 1947 partition of India and creation of Pakistan and peaked in the 1980s during the leadership of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, culminating in the 1984 Indian military operation at the Golden Temple.
Recent high-profile incidents have heightened tensions between India and the West. On June 18, 2023, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Khalistan advocate in Canada, was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there was “credible intelligence” linking the Indian government to the killing. Several Indian nationals were later arrested in connection with the murder.
In late 2023, US prosecutors revealed they had foiled a plot to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a leader of Sikhs for Justice, in New York City.
An Indian national extradited from the Czech Republic pleaded guilty in February 2026 to murder-for-hire charges. A former Indian intelligence officer was charged in October 2024 with directing the plot.
Other notable cases include Satinderpal Singh Raju, who survived a drive-by shooting in California in 2024, and Avtar Singh Khanda, who died under suspicious circumstances in the UK in June 2023.
The movement remains active among the Sikh diaspora in Canada, the US, the UK, and Australia. Sikhs for Justice organizes unofficial global referendums on Khalistan, non-binding votes that continue to create diplomatic tensions.
Proposed boundaries of Khalistan typically include the Indian state of Punjab and, at times, parts of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh.
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