[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 6 (Tuesday, February 1, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E50-E51]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               INDIA SHOULD BE DECLARED A TERRORIST STATE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 1, 2000

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, the time has come to declare India a 
terrorist state. India is one of the leading practitioners of terrorism 
in the world, but they get away with it by cloaking it under a mask of 
democracy. India practices terrorism internally against its minorities 
and externally against its neighbors.
  The Coordination Committee on Disappearances in Punjab identified 838 
victims of India's mass cremation policy in a preliminary report last 
year. It published their names and addresses. These young Sikhs were 
abducted by the police, tortured, and murdered, then the police 
disposed of their bodies. This policy amounts to nothing less than 
terrorism against the Sikhs of Punjab, Khalistan.
  Tens of thousands of Sikh political prisoners continue to rot in 
Indian jails without trial. They are not the only ones. After an Indian 
airliner was hijacked in November, India agreed to release several 
prisoners. According to the Los Angeles Times, India violated 
international law by holding these prisoners without charge or trial.
  On December 20, according to Reuters News Service (as reported in 
India West), Pakistani police arrested a man who confessed that he was 
an Indian agent and that he planted bombs that killed 9 people. 
Clearly, this is a terrorist act sponsored by the Indian government.
  The book Soft Target, written by two Canadian journalists, proved 
that India blew up its own airliner in 1985, killing 329 people. In 
1991, the Indian intelligence service, RAW, masterminded a hijacking of 
an Indian plane. These acts give us reason to suspect that India's hand 
may have been behind the recent Air India hijacking.
  In November 1994, the Hitavada, a well respected newspaper in India, 
reported that the Indian government paid Surendra Nath, the late 
governor of Punjab, one and a half billion dollars to foment terrorism 
in Punjab, Khalistan and in Kashmir. Can anyone deny that a country 
which would do this is a terrorist nation?
  The Indian government intelligence wing, RAW, supported the militant 
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to gain control of the port of 
Trincomelli. India Today magazine reported that the leader of the LTTE 
was entertained by the Indian government in one of Delhi's best hotels. 
Later, India turned against the LTTE and invaded Sri Lanka to crush the 
LTTE freedom movement. The Indian government has blood on its hands.
  The Indian government has murdered minorities in massive numbers. 
Over 250,000 Sikhs since 1984, over 200,000 Christians in Nagaland 
since 1947, more than 65,000 Kashmiri Muslims since 1988, and tens of 
thousands of Assamese, Manipuris, Tamils, Dalits, and others have been 
murdered by the government of India. The State Department reported in 
1994 that the government of India paid more than 41,000 cash bounties 
to police officers for murdering Sikhs.
  Hindu militants allied with the government have burned down Christian 
churches and prayers halls, murdered priests, and raped nuns. Hindus 
affiliated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad surrounded the jeep of 
missionary Graham Staines and his two sons, ages 8 and 10, and burned 
them to death. The VHP is part of the same umbrella organization as the 
ruling BJP. In 1997, police broke up a Christian religious festival 
with gunfire.
  Last year, Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes organized and led 
a meeting with the Ambassadors from Cuba, Red China, Russia, Iraq, and 
Libya aimed at creating a security alliance ``to stop the U.S.'' India 
supported the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and votes against American 
interests consistently. The time has come to take strong measures 
against India's brutality and terrorism by declaring India a terrorist 
nation.
  Mr. Speaker, recently the Council of Khalistan issued a news release 
on Indian state terrorism. I would like to place it into the Record for 
the information of my colleagues.

     [From the Council of Khalistan, Washington, DC, Jan. 13, 2000]

              U.S. Should Declare India a Terrorist State

       Washington, D.C., January 13, 2000.--Dr. Gurmit Singh 
     Aulakh, President of the Council of Khalistan, called on the 
     United States government to declare India a terrorist state. 
     ``India is one of the leading sponsors of terrorism in the 
     world,'' he said.
       Earlier this week, Mandeep Singh Sodhi, a 27-year-old Sikh 
     in Uttar Pradesh burned himself to death to protest police 
     abuses against his family. The Los Angeles Times reported 
     that India violated international law by holding the 
     prisoners who were released without charge or trial. There 
     are tens of thousands of Sikh political prisoners rotting in 
     Indian jails without trial. On December 20, according to 
     Reuters News Service and India West, Pakistani police 
     arrested a man who confessed to being an Indian agent and to 
     planting bombs that killed 9 people.
       Responding to some recent reports, Dr. Aulakh said that he 
     ``would not put it past''

[[Page E51]]

     the Indian government to organize the hijacking themselves to 
     justify a new wave of terror in Kashmir. ``They have created 
     incidents to promote terror in Punjab, Khalistan, Assam, 
     Nagaland, Tamil Nadu, and other places within their 
     artificial borders.'' he said.
       The book Soft Target, written by two Canadian journalists, 
     proved that India blew up its own airliner in 1985, killing 
     329 people, to blame the Sikhs. In 1994, the Hitavada, a well 
     respected Indian newspaper, reported that the Indian 
     government paid the late governor of Punjab, Surendra Nath, 
     $1.5 billion to organize and support covert state terrorism 
     in Punjab, Khalistan and in Kashmir.
       The Indian government intelligence wing, RAW, infiltrated 
     the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and 
     supported the LTTE to gain control of the port of 
     Trincomelli. When the Sri Lankan government agreed to give 
     India control of the port, India turned against the LTTE and 
     invaded Sri Lanka to crush the LTTE freedom movement. The 
     Indian army suffered heavy losses at the hands of the LTTE 
     freedom fighters and withdrew from Sri Lanka. Rajiv Gandhi, 
     the ex-Prime Minister of India under whose government this 
     took place, was blown up by a female Tamil freedom fighter.
       The Indian government has murdered over 250,000 Sikhs since 
     1984. They have also killed over 200,000 Christians in 
     Nagaland since 1947, more than 65,000 Kashmiri Muslims since 
     1988, and tens of thousands of Assamese, Manipuris, Tamils, 
     Dalits, and others. ``Only a terrorist state could commit 
     atrocities of this magnitude,'' said Dr. Aulakh.
       The U.S. State Department reported that the Indian 
     government paid more than 41,000 cash bounties to police to 
     murder Sikhs. One of these bounties was collected by police 
     officers who killed a three-year-old boy, his father, and his 
     uncle ``Would you call this democracy or terrorism?,'' Dr. 
     Aulakh asked.
       Government-allied Hindu militants have burned down 
     Christian churches and prayer halls, murdered priests, and 
     raped nuns. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which is affiliated 
     with the parent organization of the ruling BJP, described the 
     rapists as ``patriotic youth'' and called the nuns 
     ``antinational elements.'' Hindus affiliated with the VHP 
     surrounded the jeep of missionary Graham Staines and his two 
     sons, ages 8 and 10, poured gasoline on it, set it on fire, 
     and surrounded it, chanting ``Victory to Lord Ram.'' In 1997, 
     police broke up a Christian religious festival with gunfire. 
     ``Only a terrorist government could allow these kinds of 
     atrocities,'' Dr. Aulakh pointed out.
       Last year, Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes led a 
     meeting with the Ambassadors from Cuba, Red China, Russia, 
     Iraq, and Libya aimed at constructing a security alliance 
     ``to stop the U.S.'' ``How could India form an alliance 
     against the world's oldest democracy and then ask for 
     help?,'' Dr. Aulakh asked. ``Based on these and other pieces 
     of India's pattern of terrorism, the time has come for Indian 
     to be declared a terrorist state,'' Dr. Aulakh said.

     

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