1991- The Birth of Khalistan
A Sikh State
The news of the rough results of the referendum ended up being released hours later than expected though this was primarily due to the interception of the Rajiv government along with the organizers and leaders having sent this information forward to their allies for the upcoming operation. Before long, the morning news would be abuzz with the the secession attempt over of the Punjab and the attempted creation over of Khalistan. While this was not entirely unforeseen by the Rajiv government, they were still caught surprisingly flat-footed by the results. Some have speculated that this was due to the economic situation in India, including speculation that India wold have to start giving up some of its gold supply and concerns over the state of the Soviet Union further jeopardizing their economy future, especially with the power struggle going on regarding the leadership within the Soviet Union. With so many other reports and newstories coming out that required more immediate government consideration, it was easy to see how something like this could slip by.
However, it was still viewed as a massive failue of the Rajiv government, but what followed truly caught people off-guard. With the results tallied and confirmed, the leaders had stepped up and declared that the Punjab state of India is seceding to become a sovereign state. On how for too long, the Sikh people have felt ignored and their voices unheard by the government of India and that attempts at peaceful resolution and discourse have failed on getting the government to make concessions such as persecutions of the crimes from the anti-Sikh riots among other concerns that the Sikh population had. Additionally, the speech noted that they seek not war, but peace with India. But their grandest statement was on reuniting with their lost siblings and continuing the legacy of the Sikh Empire, the nation that valiantly fought against the British colonization efforts the longest.
The new Khalistan had sent a message to Pakistan on the latter having their territory be annexed and to reunite the Punjab.
And more shockingly, the provisional government of Pakistan
agreed.
The End of Pakistan
The last few years have been rather brutal on Pakistan. With most of their region seceding, this left only the Punjab region of Pakistan standing. Additionally, the nuclear strike that was ordered by Zia-ul-Haq had broken the government. Many of the wealthy officials, land-holders and other individuals of powers would either flee Pakistan for different parts of the Middle East or other countries while others stayed to try and exploit the situation, only for them to run into infighting and a mess. A provisional government was barely made and Pakistan would only be saved by the Americans coming in to help ensure order and stability. However, the damage was done. The economy was utterly wrecked and it took international support to ensure that the basics of food, water and medical attention were being held.
Pakistan would survive, if barely. And 2 years after the incident, not much has improved. While things have grown more stabler, it is still a rather shakey situation with the provisional government only somewhat functional. The people were a very haggard and lost folk. Additionally, due to the quasi-theocratic elements of the state and how said elements led to the collapse of it, a growing number of people found their faith shaken and or in jeopardy while others more now lost. After long months of only hanging on as such, the search for a situation was becoming desperate. After all, the Americans could not remain here forever, at least as is, and the the concern of India loomed for many people. The idea of Punjabi reunification, even if under a different state, seemed like far-fetched idea at first, but grew in popularity due to the desperation of the people and the promisies associated. Under a new state, the old sanctions and the like would be gone. A fresh start and a new opportunity to move forward and avoid the sins of the past. Additionally, it would be a unified homeland and they would gett better and more efficient backing from a superpower. This along with potential new chances, well it was more than enough. Especially since there was not much of an alternative.
Much like over in the Punjab, a referendum was held, albeit months earlier, guaging the preference on if people would be okay reuniting with the Punjab along with becoming a new state. Given the circumstances and the situation, many people were in agreement though it was not given too much attention over by India. As such, when the new Khalistan was born, Pakistan was one of the first nations to get communications in regards to this, obviously done to begin the paperwork and the transition for Pakistan to merge with Khalistan. Meanwhile, former Pakistani refugees and the like would have the option to become Khalistani citizens if they ever wish to come back to the region though many by now have likely settled into their new homes, especially in the United States and Canada. For the most part though, the people were willing to do whatever it took and while there was some concerns of religious liberty and the like, promises and assurances were being made, especially since the new nation was trying to ensure they would be supported by the other nation that would get priority on this notification... the United States of America.
Indian Reaction
The focus shifted a bit on the United States of America, due the superpower's presence over in Pakistan, now becoming Khalistan. Namely, on how aware the Americans were regarding all of this. The Askew Administration noted how they were only recently informed of such a development going in Pakistan. Additionally, when asked on what their focus was, the Americans noted they just wanted peace and stability to be restored in the region and if the people decided that this is what they wanted to do, that was their choice and thus make it. This did lead to increased tensions between the United States and India though the latter never actually outright accused the Americans of treachery of the sort. However, questions were still brought up on the lack of communication and sharing of information. The US intelligence networks responded that much of the information was public and any private stuff was focused on the region. They also pointed out that this development did not come out of nowhere, but was a growing pattern. The unspoken question the Americans asked the Rajiv government seemed to be
Why didn't you do anything to resolve this issue on the matter?
In fact, that was the concensus being increasingly portrayed in the media, both by foreign television networks outside of India and somewithin India, primarily aimed at smearing against the INC. That the loss of the Indian Punjab was due to the failures of the Rajiv government and some even saying the Indira government regarding how they handled the Sikh population of the Punjab. Among Indian media, the message was had their been more capable leaders in charge, this whole situation could have been averted. Some of them even cited the various dialogue exchanges and interviews, such as the post-war attempts at renegotiation or the failed 1985 accords to prove their point. While their main objective was to paint the INC and Rajiv administration in a negative light, a prominent side effect was easing some of the potential tension and anger at the Sikh population. This was especially the case over with foreign media, including CNN and other outlets, who mentioned troubles such as Operation Blue Star and the anti-Sikh riots.
India meanwhile unsuprisingly was utterly shocked at the secession of the Punjab, especially with the growing outlets speaking against the INC in framing the story as the ultimate example of the incompetence of the INC and of the Rajiv administration. Additionally, there were little if any practical options that the Rajiv administration could have executed at this time period. While they could try and invade the so-called Khalistan, it would put them into further conflict and paint a negative light on them around the world and domestically, giving more fodder to their opponents. That is not even including the potential trouble should violence erupt with the Americans present there. Even indirect actions or decisions that could be reasonably perceived as hostile or potentially damaging would be retaliated against. They could not rely on the Soviets for assistance because of their own political issues during their reforming period. Lastly, there was the greater looming issue of the economy, one that was becoming incresingly more and more dominant outside of this.
The center could not hold.
Ultimately, the INC would hold of no confidence for Rajiv and he would be no longer Prime Minister. An emergancy election wold be called into place to find the new Prime Minister of India. While it seemed like the BJP was getting a strong showing, it would actually be the Janata Dal that would get the largest rise, especially as many of the INC defected to the Janata Dal. Eventually, V.P. Singh would become the new Prime Minister of India. While it was initially speculated that a coalition government was going to form between the Janata Dal and BJP, the Janata Dal managed to secure a majority of the seats. Some have speculated that this was due to the BJP not focusing enough on the economy and rumor had it regarding some in-fighting over the stance of the Sikhs, creating an inconsistent message that allowed the Janata Dal to gain a majority.
However, further rammifications came over with India as a whole. For some of the more radical factions, they saw this as proof that perhaps they could try and push for their own independence while more pragmatic and grounded members planned to use this as reasoning for more autonomy among regions. In particular, the southern part of India was influenced by this, who's Dravidian culture and language was different than than of their northern kin. Meanwhile, the Kashmir region, now mostly under India, was monitoring the situation closely. Gilgit and Baltistan were given the same sort of treatment as the rest of their Kashmir "siblings" regarding having their own flag and autonomy, with Gilgit in particular having been the site of a mild dispute between Indian and Afghanistan, due to the latter wanting the Karakoram Highway for the purposes of economic cooperation with China. Afghanistan was not able to secure Chinese support for it and was forced to back down, but never quite got over it. With the Kashmiri themselves, while they were optimistic, they were also incredibly wary of the political situation.
