[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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