[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 68 (Thursday, May 26, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 26, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                 REMEMBERING THE GOLDEN TEMPLE TRAGEDY

                                 ______


                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 26, 1994

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, June 3 through 6 marks the 10th 
anniversary of a dark chapter in India's history. On those dates in 
1984, Indian troops launched a vicious artillery attack on the holiest 
shrine of the Sikh religion, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, and 38 
other Sikh shrines throughout Punjab. During this massacre, 20,000 
Sikhs were killed by Indian military and paramilitary forces. Since 
that tragedy, over 115,000 Sikhs have been killed in India.
  India may be democratic in form, but it is not in practice. In 
Indian-occupied Punjab--known to Sikhs as Khalistan--basic human rights 
do not exist. The Indian regime continues to station 500,000 troops in 
Punjab to brutalize the people. The five black laws, such as the 
Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act [TADA], allow the Indian 
Government to detain anyone indefinitely without charge, shoot 
civilians on sight, and torture civilians with impunity. It was 
recently reported that torture centers have been established in 
virtually every city in Punjab. When a Sikh dies of torture, he is 
listed as having died in a fake encounter with the police. The State 
Department reports that from 1991 through 1993, 41,000 bounties were 
paid to police officers for killing Sikhs. Disappearances are routine.
  When Prime Minister Rao came to Washington last week, he spoke to 
Congress about democracy and civil rights. He even cited Thomas 
Jefferson and Martin Luther King. If these two men were alive today, 
they would condemn the Indian Government for its crimes against the 
Sikhs, the Muslims of Kashmir, and the Christians of Nagaland. I really 
regret that the Prime Minister chose not to be more candid with us 
about India's brutal human rights record.
  Mr. Speaker, there is a growing independence movement seeking an 
independent Khalistan for the Sikh nation. Every murder India commits, 
every rape, and every act of torture will only strengthen this 
movement. If one thing is absolutely clear, it is that you cannot hold 
an entire people captive forever at the point of a gun. This has been 
proven in East Germany and the Baltic Republics. If the Sikhs truly 
desire freedom, one day they will be free, despite India's brutality.
  I am enclosing a letter to the Sikh people from Dr. Gurmit Singh 
Aulakh, President of the Council of Khalistan, marking the 10th 
anniversary of the attack on the Golden Temple. Dr. Aulakh is the most 
resolute and articulate advocate in the United States of freedom and 
dignity for the Sikh people. I encourage all of my colleagues to read 
his remarks.


                                         Council of Khalistan,

                                     Washington, DC, June 1, 1994.
       Dear Khalsa ji: We have suffered for ten years, but we 
     don't have to suffer for ten more.
       On the occasion of India's desecration of our holy Golden 
     Temple, I ask you to remember and gain strength from the 
     sacrifice of our martyrs. I ask you to remember our young men 
     who were tortured. I ask you to remember our women who were 
     raped. I ask you to remember our children who were jailed. I 
     ask you to remember our leaders who were murdered. I ask you 
     to remember Sikhs who have `disappeared.' I ask you to 
     remember police faked `encounters' which killed tens of 
     thousands. I ask you to remember everyday police harassment 
     and humiliation inflicted on our nation. I ask you to 
     remember oppressive laws such as TADA. I ask you remember 
     police extortion, bribery, and black mail. I ask you to 
     remember India's broken promises. I ask you to remember the 
     115,000 Sikhs who have died since 1984.
       Khalsa ji, after thinking about the past, I ask you to look 
     to our future: Can we afford to live under the Delhi 
     government for 10 more years?
       As President of the Council of Khalistan, I have observed a 
     great deal over the past ten years. I have thought long and 
     hard about how Khalistan can be liberated. I have seen the 
     suffering, the ebbs and flows of our liberation struggle. Ten 
     long years later, one thing stands clearly in my mind: India 
     cannot withstand a shantmai (peaceful) morcha for the 
     liberation of Khalistan.
       Liberation is in our own hands, nobody else's. Raise the 
     slogan of India Quit Khalistan.
       Khalsa ji you are the Lions of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib. If 
     the feeble Mahatma Gandhi could raise the slogan of British 
     Quit India, then you can raise the slogan of India Quit 
     Khalistan. We must immediately begin to peacefully fill 
     India's jails and block its roadways. From June 4 through 6, 
     in remembrance of our martyrs and to demonstrate our 
     determination to see Khalistan free, the Sikh masses should 
     fill India's jails. If even 1,000 Sikhs peacefully block the 
     roadways with the sole and stated intention of liberating 
     Khalistan, world headlines will be made the next day. If this 
     continues, the international community will soon get 
     involved. India cannot withstand the shantmai morcha of the 
     Sikh nation. The power is in the Khalsa's hands.
       In order to achieve quick liberation, our movement must 
     remain peaceful.
       We can achieve liberation quicker through non-violent mass 
     agitation, rather than through indiscriminate violence. The 
     moment we become violent, is the moment that the Indian 
     government portrays the Sikh nation as terrorists. Violence 
     will allow the Indian government to brutally crack down on 
     the Sikh nation and have an excuse for it. Agents of the 
     Indian government will be able to infiltrate our movement and 
     defame it. Under no circumstances should we engage in 
     violence. We must remain resolute but peaceful. Freedom will 
     then follow.
       It is time for the Khalsa Panth to remain true to its 
     heritage: Khalsa Bagi Yan Badhshah.
       Khalsa ji, our own Gurus gave their lives in order to 
     preserve Sikh sovereignty and resist governing tyranny. Our 
     history is rich with the stories of martyrs who gave their 
     lives in order to establish Sikh Raj. Baba Deep Singh, Bhai 
     Mani Singh, and Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa all held our Nishan 
     Sahib high in the air. They fought and died and suffered so 
     that Sikh Raj could exist in the Sikh homeland. We must now 
     look to their sacrifice and gain strength: Khalsa Bagi Yan 
     Badshah.
       If the leadership vacillates, then the masses should take 
     the lead.
       I am pleased by the recent efforts at Akali unity. 
     Unfortunately they have come ten years too late and come too 
     short in their stated goals. The Akalis must remember: 
     Khalistan is the only issue facing the Sikh nation. The 
     problem is not with the masses, it is with the Akalis. If the 
     Akalis are clear and unequivocal in their call for Khalistan, 
     then the masses will follow. The more the Akalis waver, the 
     more the masses will suffer--this is guaranteed. Many Indian 
     agents have infiltrated the Sikh leadership. I ask the masses 
     to find those leaders and reject them. Raise only the slogan 
     of `India Out of Khalistan'.
       Khalistan will be free by 1999.
       India is simply not viable. It is the last of the world's 
     super-states. There is no other country in the world that has 
     so many official languages. There is no other country in the 
     world which employs its own troops so extensively against its 
     own people. Through peaceful agitation, even India's army 
     will not be able to suppress the Sikh nation for too long. 
     Because of the pressure from Sikhs outside Khalistan, the 
     international community will immediately object to any 
     suppression of peaceful agitators. Khalsa ji, the power is in 
     your hands. We must make a future that is safe for our 
     children and future generations. As a tribute to our martyrs, 
     to those who have died in the past ten years, I ask the Sikh 
     nation to launch a shantmai morcha for the liberation of 
     Khalistan. Only then will Khalistan be free. Raj Karega 
     Khalsa. Khalistan Zindabad.
           Panth Da Das,
                                          Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh,
                                  President, Council of Khalistan.
                                  ____


               [From The Washington Times, May 16, 1994]

                         Rao in the Lions' Den

                          (By James Morrison)

       When Indian Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao addresses a 
     joint session of Congress this week, he will find he has many 
     hostile critics in the audience.
       Thirty-eight members of Congress wrote President Clinton 
     and 42 members signed a letter to Indian Ambassador Siddartha 
     Shankar Ray last week, complaining about Indian mistreatment 
     of its Sikh minority, which is fighting for a separate 
     homeland.
       Both letters were signed by House Armed Service Committee 
     Chairman Ron Dellums, California Democrat, and many members 
     of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
       The letter to Mr. Clinton urged him to discontinue aid to 
     India.
       ``We believe the world has turned its back on the Sikhs * * 
     * long enough,'' the letter said. ``Without the right of 
     self-determination, all other rights in the Sikh homeland are 
     effectively denied.''
       The missive to the ambassador expressed congressional 
     concern ``over mounting tensions in the Sikh homeland, 
     Punjab, Khalistan.'' Mr. Ray could not be reached for 
     comment.
       The letter to Mr. Ray said, ``Last year the House of 
     Representatives voted unanimously to cut $4.1 million in 
     developmental assistance to India because of its gross human 
     rights violations. * * * Since that time * * * the situation 
     has only gotten worse.''
       The letter said the State Department's latest human rights 
     report on India ``painted a bleak human rights landscape.'' 
     The report condemned police in the Punjab for ``extrajudicial 
     killings'' and torture. It cited the Indian government for 
     paying bonuses to police officers for killing suspected Sikh 
     militants.
       Both letters cited the case of Kanwar Singh Dhami and his 
     family who ``have endured 10 months of harsh imprisonment.''
       Mr. Rao is due in Washington on Thursday to meet Mr. 
     Clinton and address Congress.

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