[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 48 (Tuesday, March 25, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E571]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  APPRECIATING DR. GURMIT SINGH AULAKH FOR BRINGING PLIGHT OF SIKHS, 
              OTHER MINORITIES TO INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 25, 2003

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, for 17 years, Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh has 
been serving the Sikhs in this country and worldwide, first as 
President of the International Sikh Organization, a post in which he 
still serves, and later as President of the Council of Khalistan, which 
came into being when Sikhs declared their independence from India on 
October 7, 1987. He has been a tireless worker for the rights of Sikhs 
and other minorities in India, such as Christians, Muslims, Dalits (the 
dark-skinned ``Untouchables,'' the aboriginal people of South Asia), 
and others. Many of us in Congress have helped to expose the tyranny 
and terrorism that India has practiced against these groups and Dr. 
Aulakh has been a friend and an invaluable source of information to us.
  Sikhs are a separate nation and they ruled Punjab from 1710 to 1716 
and again from 1765 to 1849. They are working to reclaim their lost 
sovereignty. They face persecution and terror for doing so.
  Dr. Aulakh's efforts and the support of those who back him have been 
crucial in bringing the Sikh struggle to the attention of the 
international community. He has worked with us in this House to the 
true and accurate history of the Sikh struggle and the struggles of 
other minorities in India. In these efforts he has been opposed by the 
Indian government, which has spent large amounts of money to counteract 
his efforts and spread disinformation. They even started a rumor on the 
Internet that he was dead. He has a tough job trying to achieve freedom 
for the Sikh Nation against the opposition of the Indian government.
  Even in the U.S. Congress, the Indian government has formed the 
Indian Caucus, which has 139 members, to support India and deflect our 
attention away from the oppression and terror there. He has done a 
yeoman job in exposing the brutal oppression of the Indian government 
against the Sikh Nation which has killed over 250,000 Sikhs since 1984. 
Another 50,000 Sikhs were arrested by the police, tortured, murdered, 
and then declared ``unidentified bodies'' and secretly cremated. He has 
brought to the attention of Congress that even at present, 52,268 Sikh 
political prisoners are rotting in Indian jails as political prisoners, 
according to the Movement Against State Repression.
  Dr. Aulakh has been tireless in promoting self-determination, which 
is the cornerstone of democracy. He has been a relentless advocate for 
the cause of Sikh freedom and the independence of their homeland, 
Punjab, Khalistan.
  Like those of us in Congress, Dr. Aulakh knows and appreciates the 
privilege of service. Service is essential to the Sikh religion as it 
is to all religions.
  Accordingly, Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
salute Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh.

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