[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 38 (Wednesday, April 10, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E479]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E479]]
                 VAISAKHI GREETINGS TO THE SIKH NATION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 10, 2002

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, this Saturday, April 13, is 
Vaisakhi, the birthday of the Sikhs. It marks the day on which the last 
of the Sikh gurus, Guru Gobind Singh, consecrated the Khalsa Panth. It 
is the Sikhs' most important holiday. I would like to take this 
opportunity to wish the Sikhs in America, In Khalistan, and around the 
world a happy Vaisakhi Day.
  This important occasion is usually marked with parades and services 
in the Gurdwara. It should also be a time for the Sikh Nation to focus 
on freedom.
  Sikhs have made many contributions to this country. They have been 
leaders in agriculture, law, medicine, and many other fields. One Sikh, 
Dr. Dalip Singh, a mathematics professor from California, served two 
terms in this House from 1959-63. He was the first person from the 
subcontinent to serve in Congress.
  As is the regular practice, Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President of the 
Council of Khalistan, has issued a Vaisakhi Day greeting to the Sikh 
Nation. He urges the Sikhs to use this occasion to begin a peaceful 
movement to reclaim their lost sovereignty and freedom. I urge all my 
colleagues to read this outstanding letter.
  The time has come for America to cut off its aid to India and to 
support a free and fair plebiscite on independence in Punjab, 
Khalistan, in Kashmir, in Christian Nagaland, and in the many nations 
seeking their freedom from India. These are the best measures to ensure 
freedom, peace, security, and prosperity in South Asia.

          Vaisakhi Message to the Sikh Nation, Mar. 25, 2002.

       Khalsa Ji: Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa, Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh!
       This is a time of celebration of our 303rd anniversary of 
     the Khalsa Panth. It is also time to look back at our 
     history. The Guru gave sovereignty to the Khalsa Panth. (``In 
     grieb Sikhin ko deon Patshahi.'') Banda Singh Bahadur 
     established the first Khalsa rule in Punjab from 1710 to 
     1716. Then there was a period of persecution of the Sikhs. 
     Again Sikhs established a sovereign, independent rule from 
     1765 to 1849, when the British annexed the Sikh homeland, 
     Punjab, into British India.
       To regain freedom from the British, Sikhs were on the front 
     line of the fight. The Sikh Nation gave about 80 percent of 
     the sacrifices during this freedom struggle when they formed 
     only 1.5 percent of the Indian population. At the time of the 
     independence of India, Sikhs were equal signatories to the 
     transfer of power from the British. Muslim leader Mohammed 
     Ali Jinnah was very wise and well educated and he did not 
     trust the majority Hindu leadership. He got an independent 
     Pakistan for the Muslims. The Sikh leadership should have 
     gotten an independent country for the Sikhs at that time, but 
     they were fooled by the Hindu leadership of Nehru and Gandhi 
     so Sikhs took their share and joined India on the promise 
     that they would have the glow of freedom in the northwest 
     part of India.
       Khalsa Ji, we have seen this ``glow of freedom'' in the 
     form of the attack on the Golden Temple in June 1984, when 
     over 20,000 Sikhs were killed in Punjab in a single month. 
     The next massacre of Sikhs occurred after the assassination 
     of Indira Gandhi in Delhi. There was a mass murder of Sikhs 
     throughout India, including Delhi. The Sikhs were pulled out 
     of trains and burned alive. Sikh truck drivers were pulled 
     out of their trucks. Tires were put around their necks by 
     Hindu militants and they were burned to death. In Punjab, 
     this genocide continued under Beant Singh's government. Sikhs 
     were arrested, tortured, and then cremated and their bodies 
     were declared ``unidentified.''
       Since 1984, over 250,000 Sikhs have been murdered. 52,268 
     are rotting in Indian jails under TADA, which expired in 
     1995. Many of them have be in illegal custody since Operation 
     Bluestar in 1984. Only last month, 42 Members of the U.S. 
     Congress wrote to President Bush to get these political 
     prisoners released. Jaswant Singh Khalra, who exposed the 
     government killing of Sikhs in fake encounters, became a 
     victim of the Indian police himself. He was kidnapped outside 
     his house and murdered in police custody. He documented 6,018 
     Sikhs who were secretly cremated by the government in three 
     cremation grounds, Patti, Tarn Taran, and Durgiana Mandir. 
     Subsequently, Punjab Human Rights Organization (PHRO) 
     chairman Justice Ajit Singh Bains said that about 50,000 
     Sikhs were secretly cremated in this manner. Even Akal Takht 
     Jathedar Gurdev Singh Kaunke was murdered by SSP Swaran Singh 
     Ghotna and then his body was disposed of.
       The Badal government was forced to conduct an inquiry into 
     the killing of Jathedar Kaunke. It was done by three Punjab 
     police officials under the leadership of DIG Tiwari. He 
     submitted a report to the Badal government, which has not 
     been made public as of today. How could a democratically 
     elected Akali government hide the murder of the Akal Takht 
     Jathedar by not releasing this report, which was conducted by 
     its own order?
       The Badal government was the most corrupt one in Punjab's 
     history. They invented a new term for bribery: ``fee for 
     service.'' If you didn't pay the fee, you didn't get the 
     service. There was a fixed amount of money for government 
     jobs. Bags of money were received by Mrs. Badal in return for 
     these jobs. The Punjab economy deteriorated under Badal and 
     the Punjab government had its largest debt ever. It is 
     bankrupt now. Badal made three promises to get elected. He 
     promised to free the political prisoners, to punish the 
     police officers who carried out atrocities against the Sikh 
     Nation, and to appoint a commission to investigate 
     atrocities. He did not keep any of them.
       The Sikh leadership is completely under Indian government 
     control, whether it is the Akali leadership of Badal, Tohra, 
     Mann, and others or the Congress leadership of Punjab under 
     Captain Amarinder Singh or former Chief Minister Mrs. 
     Bhatthal. Changing parties and faces every election will not 
     solve the problems of the Sikh Nation. Congress is no better 
     than the Akalis and the Alkalis proved to be the worst 
     enemies of the Sikh Nation. How could an Akali government 
     keep 52,268 Sikhs in jail without charge or trial for the 
     last 16 years? It is shameful and a black mark on the present 
     Akali leadership. They have cashed in on the sacrifices and 
     good will of the pre-independence Akali leadership.
       Khalsa Ji, the only solution to this quagmire is the 
     formation of a Khalsa Raj Party under new, honest, dedicated, 
     and committed leadership. The time is now to do it. Let's not 
     waste time and prolong the suffering and agony of the Sikh 
     Nation under the present corrupt Akali leadership which is 
     controlled by the Indian government and is determined to wipe 
     out the Sikh Nation and the Sikh religion. The only remedy is 
     to sever our relationship with Delhi completely, once and for 
     all, and declare the independence from India and start a 
     peaceful agitation to free the Sikh homeland, Punjab, 
     Khalistan.
       The victory of the Congress Party was a massive rejection 
     of the Akalis, who were elected five years ago to reject the 
     Congress Party. However, the Congress Party remains the enemy 
     of the Sikh Nation. In the last two elections, the Sikh 
     Nation has soundly rejected both parties. Neither supports 
     the interests of the Sikh Nation; neither can be trusted by 
     the Sikh Nation. The time has come to discard the present 
     Akali leadership that has betrayed the Sikh Nation.
       We must press for action against the police officials who 
     carried out the police kidnapping and murder of human-rights 
     activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. These would be good first 
     steps for the Sikh leadership and for the new government in 
     Punjab. But we must continue to pursue our ultimate goal of 
     freeing the Sikh homeland, Punjab, Khalistan.
       The Sikh Nation is sovereign and it must have its 
     sovereign, independent country. Guru gave sovereignty to the 
     Khalsa Panth. Remember ``Raj Kare Ga Khalsa.'' Sikhs can 
     never forgive or forget the desecration of the Golden Temple. 
     This is the history and tradition of the Sikh Nation. The 
     time has come to form a Khalsa Raj Party to liberate 
     Khalistan. The new Sikh leadership must launch a Shantmai 
     Morcha to liberate our homeland. The only way the Sikh Nation 
     can prosper is to free the Sikh homeland, Punjab, Khalistan. 
     The freedom of the Sikh Nation will bring prosperity, 
     stability, and peace to Punjab and to South Asia.
           Panth Da Sewadar,
                                          Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh,
                                  President, Council of Khalistan.

     

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