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Khalistan refers to a global political movement to create a separate Sikh state called Khalistan, consisting of the
Punjab region from parts of India and Pakistan.
Currency for Khalistan was part of Surjan Singh Gill's campaign from Vancouver to promote a Sikh homeland.
The Sikhs have sought independence from India since 1947, claiming territory from the Jamna River on the east to the
border with Pakistan on the west.
To publicize their demand for independence, Dal Khalsa (Sikh Empire - named after the Sikh army that operated in 17th and
18th-century Punjab), a fringe movement of the Akali Dal, printed propaganda banknotes in 1980 for the Republic of
Khalistan advocating the formation of an independent Sikh state in the Indian Punjab. Akali Dal, a collection of disparate
Sikh factions desiring more autonomy for Sikhs in India, does not generally support the separatist Khalistan movement.
Dal Khalsa has active branches in the West. Their constitution states in part that Dal Khalsa is a
social-religious-political organization of the Sikh nation. The primary goal of the Dal Khalsa is the establishment of
self-rule for Sikhs.
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