[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 106 (Thursday, July 17, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1494-E1495]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       FOR FREEDOM IN SOUTH ASIA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 16, 2003

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer somewhat belated 
congratulations to the Sikh Nation on Vaisakhi Day, the anniversary of 
the creation of the Khalsa Panth, which occurred in April. This is a 
very important day in the Sikh calendar, the birthday of the Khalsa 
Panth.
  The Khalsa Panth was created in a spirit of freedom, and this is 
reflected in their daily prayers in which they pray for the freedom of 
the Sikh Nation and the well being of all people. This freedom is an 
essential yearning of the human spirit and all people are entitled to 
freedom. Yet merely for trying to be free, the Sikhs have been 
oppressed by the Indian government, which has murdered more than 
250,000 of them since 1984.
  Against this backdrop, the Sikh Nation declared its independence on 
October 7, 1987, creating the new country of Khalistan. This was in a 
Sikh tradition of self-rule. From 1765 to 1849 Sikh ruled Punjab. They 
ran an inclusive government, with Hindus, Muslims, and others in high 
positions.
  Now their dreams of freedom are being crushed by the force of 500,000 
Indian troops while the Indian government tries to set up Hindutva--
total Hindu domination of every aspect of the political, social, and 
cultural life of India, South Asia, and the people living there. One 
Indian Cabinet member was quoted as saying that everyone who lives in 
India must either be Hindu or be subservient to Hindus.
  The Council of Khalistan, which leads the Sikh Nation's struggle to 
free its homeland, Khalistan, from Indian oppression, issued an 
excellent statement calling on Sikhs worldwide to use the occasion of 
the Sikh Nation's birthday to rededicate themselves to achieving 
freedom for the Sikhs in a sovereign, independent Khalistan. I would 
like to join in that call, Mr. Speaker. It is time to bring true 
freedom and democracy to South Asia. In addition, a free and sovereign 
Khalistan will be an American ally in the subcontinent.
  We should declare our support for freedom for Khalistan and for all 
the other nations of South Asia that seek their freedom. And we should 
back this up by stopping aid to India until it learns the ways of 
democracy and self-determination for all peoples and nations. This is 
the most effective way that America, the bastion of freedom, can stand 
up for freedom for the oppressed peoples of South Asia.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to place the Council of Khalistan's open 
letter on Vaisakhi Day into the Record.

[[Page E1495]]

                                         Council of Khalistan,

                                   Washington, DC, April 14, 2003.

                  Vaisakhi Message to the Sikh Nation

Congratulations to the Khalsa Panth on Vaisakhi Day--In Grieb Sikhin Ko 
 Deon Patshahi; Guru Gave Sovereignty to Sikh Nation, Sikh Nation Must 
        Free Khalistan; Without Political Power, Nations Perish

       Dear Khalsa Ji: WAHEGURU
     JIKAKHALSA, WAHEGURUJI KIATEH!
       Happy Vaisakhi Day to you and your family, friends, and the 
     Sangat. 304 years ago, Guru Gobind Singh Sahib established 
     the Khalsa Panth, as desired by Almighty God. The Guru also 
     gave sovereignty to the Sikh Nation. That is the reason that 
     Sikhs always recite ``Raj Kare Ga Khalsa.''
       Sikhs established a sovereign, independent Sikh state under 
     the leadership of Banda Singh Bahadur from 1710 to 1716, then 
     under the Sikh missals from 1765 until 1799 when Maharajah 
     Ranjit Singh established Khalsa Raj in Punjab, which lasted 
     until 1849 when the British conquered the subcontinent.
       India is not a single nation. It is on the verge of 
     disintegration. Multinational states like India historically 
     have been doomed to disintegrate, as Austria-Hungary, the 
     Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia have shown us. 
     The Sikh Nation must do its best to establish Khalsa Raj as 
     soon as possible. The political situation in the world is 
     very fluid today. The Kashmir problem must be resolved 
     through self-determination, which is the essence of 
     democracy. As soon as Kashmir goes, India will disintegrate, 
     as L.K. Advani forecast.
       Outside Sikhs have played and must continue to play an 
     important role in the present struggle for an independent 
     Khalistan. They have exposed Indian government violations of 
     basic human rights of Sikhs and other minorities. They have 
     internationalized the Sikh struggle for an independent 
     Khalistan. They have also preserved Sikh history by 
     documenting major events since 1984 in the Congressional 
     Record.
       Three million Sikhs live outside of India. They constitute 
     a major political force in many democratic countries, 
     including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and 
     others. I appeal to all Sikhs to get involved in the 
     political process to preserve their interests in their home 
     countries. Secure the help of political parties and officials 
     to help free Khalistan and to preserve Sikh interests in your 
     respective countries and also to help protect the Sikhs back 
     in Punjab, Khalistan. Every Sikh must become a citizen of the 
     country where he or she lives and become part of the 
     political process. Only by beconung politically active will 
     Sikhs be able to achieve our objectives of a free Khalistan 
     and preserve our interests in our adopted countries.
       The next generations of Sikhs are citizens of these adopted 
     countries. They were born there and they are going to stay. 
     They must play a very constructive role in the political, 
     social, and economic life of the country. Make sure that our 
     children are very well educated. There should not be any 
     Sikh child, boy or girl, who does not have at least an 
     undergraduate university degree. Make sure that your sons 
     and your daughters are well educated. Make sure they get 
     the best education that they can. Only by educating our 
     women will we secure a better future for the Sikh Nation 
     and for our coming generations.
       Remember that the Sikh Nation must free our Sikh homeland, 
     Punjab, Khalistan. Without political power nations perish. It 
     is essential for the survival of the Sikh Nation.
       Colonial rule was better for everyone in India except the 
     Brahmins than Indian rule is. We have been victimized by 
     repression, tyranny, discrimination, and other abuses of our 
     basic, god-given rights. India has used genocide, murder, 
     torture, rape, and everything in its arsenal to destroy the 
     Sikh Nation. It has even blown up its own airliner to blame 
     it on the Sikhs, as the book Soft Target, written by two 
     Canadian journalists, proves beyond a doubt. They paid former 
     Punjab governor Surendra Nath $1.5 billion to foment and 
     support terrorism in Punjab and Kashmir.
       The present Sikh leadership is dishonest, corrupt, and 
     completely under Indian control. They are complicit in the 
     crimes of the Indian regime. The book Chakravyuh: Web of 
     Indian Secularism by Professor Gurtej Singh shows their 
     complicity. They connived with the Indian government before 
     the Golden Temple invasion to murder Sant Jarnail Singh 
     Bhindranwale, General Shabeg Singh, and thousands of other 
     good Sikhs who were working for Sikh freedom. The Indian 
     government has murdered over 250,000 Sikhs since 1984. The 
     death sentence given to Professor Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar 
     based on a false confession is the latest example of India's 
     effort to eliminate the Sikh religion and intimidate the Sikh 
     Nation.
       According to a report by the Movement Against State 
     Repression (MASR), 52,268 Sikhs are being held as political 
     prisoners in India without charge or trial. Some have been in 
     illegal custody since 1984! Yet Chief Minister Amarinder 
     Singh denies that there are any political prisoners at all. 
     Have they murdered them all? The Indian regime paid over 
     41,000 cash bounties to police officers for killing Sikhs, 
     according to a 1994 report from the U.S. State Department. 
     Will the Indian government publish the names of those Sikhs 
     who were murdered by those police officials to get rewards? 
     On October 7, 1987, the Sikh Nation declared the independence 
     of its homeland, Punjab, Khalistan. No Sikh representative 
     has ever signed the Indian constitution.
       The Sikh nation has awakened. I call on all Sikhs to 
     support the Khalsa Panchayat. These good Sikhs forced 
     Jathedar Manjit Singh of Kesgarh to resign. Now Jathedar 
     Vedanti must resign along with him. Please help the Khalsa 
     Panchayat in these efforts. And work to build a party that 
     will lead a Shantmai Morcha to liberate our homeland, 
     Khalistan, from Indian occupation. Just as the Akalis took 
     control from the Mahants of the last century, we must take 
     control of our future from the new Mahants, the present Akali 
     leadership and Indian-controlled Jathedars. We must liberate 
     our homeland.
       Only in a free Khalistan will the Sikh Nation prosper.-Only 
     then will the Sikh Nation get justice. India must start 
     acting like a democracy and allow self-determination in the 
     form of a free and fair plebiscite on independence for 
     Punjab, Khalistan and the other nations seeking their freedom 
     from India. Let us join hands to secure our freedom, for 
     future generations and ourselves.
           Panth Da Sewadar,

                                      Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh,

                                                        President,
     Council of Khalistan.

                          ____________________