[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 51 (Tuesday, April 20, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E549-E550]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     VAISAKHI DAY, SIKH HOLIDAY--USE OPPORTUNITY TO FREE KHALISTAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 20, 2004

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, April 13 is Vaisakhi Day, the anniversary of 
the founding of the Sikh Nation in 1699. The Sikhs love freedom as we 
do, Mr. Speaker. They have a long tradition of fighting oppression 
wherever it rears its ugly head and they have a history of self-rule.
  I would like to take this opportunity to wish the Sikhs in America 
and the Sikhs around the world a happy Vaisakhi Day.
  The Council of Khalistan, the organization that is leading the Sikh 
movement to liberate

[[Page E550]]

their homeland, Khalistan, recently published an open letter to the 
Sikhs, a Vaisakhi Day message. It urged the Sikhs to use the 
opportunity to liberate their homeland. The letter called upon them to 
remember the Sikh Nation's heritage of freedom.
  The letter pointed out the suffering of the Sikhs at the hands of the 
Indian government. That repression has taken the lives of over 250,000 
Sikhs in the last 20 years, in addition to over 50,000 Sikhs who were 
picked up, tortured, killed, and secretly cremated, declaring their 
bodies ``unidentified.'' Another 52,000-plus are being held as 
political prisoners, according to the Movement Against State 
Repression, a Punjabi human-rights organization. In addition, India has 
killed more than 300,000 Christians in Nagaland, over 85,000 Kashmiri 
Muslims, and tens of thousands of Assamese, Bodos, Dalits, Manipuris, 
Tamils, and other minorities. Yet the U.S. taxpayer continues to be 
taxed to send foreign aid to this brutal country.
  The letter calls on the Sikhs to take the opportunity of Vaisakhi to 
demand a free and independent Khalistan by means of slogans, by 
peaceful resistance, and by bringing forth new leadership. It takes 
note of the death of Gurcharan Singh Tohra, the President of the 
Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, and the political collapse of 
former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to call for new leadership 
that supports freedom for Khalistan. It notes the seminar held on 
Khalistan last year, which shows that the desire for freedom remains 
strong in Punjab.
  This letter makes a very strong case for a sovereign, independent 
Khalistan and it does a good job of exposing the brutal tyranny that 
India has inflicted on the Sikh Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, how can we, as the bastion of freedom, sit idly by and 
close our eyes to this terror? The time has come to stop U.S. aid to 
India. This may be the most effective way that we can influence them to 
stop the repression of Sikhs, Christians, Muslims, and other 
minorities. And if India is the democratic state that it says it is, it 
should conduct a free and fair vote on the question of independence. 
This Congress should put itself on record urging India to do this as 
soon as possible. That is the democratic way to settle issues, and we 
should use our influence to help this occur.
  Mr. Speaker, the letter from the Council of Khalistan is very 
informative. For the information of my colleagues and the public, I 
would like to insert it into the Record.


                                         Council of Khalistan,

                                    Washington, DC, April 6, 2004.

Vaisakhi Day Message to the Sikh Nation: Sikhs Will Celebrate Vaisakhi 
                              Day April 13

       Dear Khalsa Ji: On April 13, the Sikh Nation will celebrate 
     Vaisakhi Day, observing the 305th anniversary of the day Guru 
     Gobind Singh established the Khalsa Panth. The Guru granted 
     sovereignty to the Sikh Nation, saying ``In Grieb Silrhin Ko 
     Deon Patshahi.'' We must remind ourselves of our heritage by 
     raising slogans of ``Khalistan Zindabad'' and beginning a 
     Shantmai Morcha to liberate our homeland, Khalistan. Every 
     morning and evening we recite, ``Raj Kare Ga Khalsa.'' Now is 
     the time to act on it. Do we mean what we say every morning 
     and evening?
       The Sikhs in Punjab have suffered enormous repression at 
     the hands of the Indian regime in the last 20 years. The 
     Indian government has murdered over 250,000 Sikhs since 1984. 
     In addition, over 50,000 Sikh youth were picked up from their 
     houses, tortured, murdered in police custody, then secretly 
     cremated as ``unidentified bodies.'' Their remains were never 
     even given to their families! Over 52,000 Sikhs sit in Indian 
     jails as political prisoners without charge or trial, 
     according to the Movement Against State Repression (MASR.) 
     Some of them have been in illegal custody for 20 years!
       The Indian government forgot the Sikh tradition. Sikhs can 
     never forgive or forget the Indian government's military 
     attack on the Golden Temple and 125 other Gurdwaras 
     throughout Punjab. Over 20,000 Sikhs were murdered in those 
     attacks, known as Operation Bluestar, including Sant Janail 
     Singh Bhindranwale, General Shabeg Singh, Bhai Amrik Singh, 
     and over 100 Sikh religious students ages 8-13 who were taken 
     out into the courtyard and shot. These attacks accelerated 
     the Sikh independence movement and deepened the desire for 
     independence in the hearts of Sikhs, a fire that burns 
     brightly in the hearts of the Sikh Nation to this day. Sant 
     Bhindranwale said that the attack on the Golden Temple would 
     ``lay the foundation stone of Khalistan'' and he was right. 
     Late in 2003, former Member of Parliament Atinder Pal Singh 
     organized a seminar on Khalistan at Baba Makhan Shah Labana 
     Hall, Sector 30, Chandigarh. This shows that the flame of 
     freedom is still burning in the hearts of Sikhs. It is time 
     to take action to free our homeland. Repression and genocide 
     of this magnitude at the hands of the Indian government is 
     unparalleled in the late part of the 20th century. India 
     should be ashamed of the genocide it has committed against 
     Sikhs, Christians, Muslims, and other minorities.
       With the passing of Gurcharan Singh Tohra, new leadership 
     must emerge at the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee 
     (SGPC.) In addition, new political leadership must emerge 
     with Prakash Singh Badal under indictment. Mr. Badal's time 
     is not long either. He has had cancer already and he is an 
     old man. This new leadership must be committed to the cause 
     of freeing our Sikh homeland from the repression and 
     brutality of the Indian government by reclaiming our lost 
     sovereignty in a free and independent Khalistan.
       Khalsa Ji, at this time of Vaisakhi, the whole Khalsa Panth 
     must be energized to reestablish a sovereign, independent 
     Khalsa Raj by freeing our homeland, Khalistan. It is time for 
     Sikhs to look back at our history of persecution and 
     suffering over the past 20 years. The Hindu government of 
     India, whether run by the Congress Party or by the BJP, wants 
     minorities either subservient to Hinduism or completely wiped 
     out. The Indian government and its allies have tried to 
     weaken the Sikh religion by saying that Sikhism is part of 
     Hinduism. If that is true, why have they murdered so many 
     Sikhs? Hindus practice idol worship; Sikhism is monotheistic, 
     worshipping only one God. Hindus believe in the caste system; 
     Sikhs believe in the equality of the whole human race. 
     Remember the words of Guru Gobind Singh: ``Recognize ye all 
     the human race as one.'' In spite of the fact that the 
     religions believe completely opposite things, Hindus desire 
     to engulf Sikhism just as they did with Jainism and Buddhism 
     in India. They think that Buddhism is part of Hinduism 
     because Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, was born in India. 
     Similarly, Guru Nanak was born Hindu, so they proclaim 
     Sikhism to be part of Hinduism. Yet Guru Nanak said that he 
     was ``neither Hindu nor Muslim.'' Jesus was born Jewish. Does 
     that mean that Christianity is merely part of Judaism?
       On this auspicious occasion celebrating the birth of the 
     Khalsa Panth, we must bring back our Khalsa spirit. We must 
     remember our heritage and tradition of ``Khalsa Bagi Yan 
     Badshah'' by committing ourselves to freeing our homeland, 
     Punjab, Khalistan, from Indian occupation. We need a new Sikh 
     political party which has a dedication to the interests of 
     the Sikh Nation as its sole objective, to establish Khalsa 
     Raj by liberating Khalistan, severing all political ties with 
     India. If the BJP wants Hindu Raj, it cannot object to Khalsa 
     Raj.
       The Indian government wants to break the will of the Sikh 
     Nation and enslave them forever, making Sikhism a part of 
     Hinduism. This can only be stopped if we free Punjab from 
     Delhi's control and reestablish a sovereign, independent 
     country, as declared on October 7, 1987. We must recommit 
     ourselves to freeing our homeland, Punjab, Khalistan. Raise 
     slogans of ``Khalsa Bagi Yan Badshah,'' ``Raj Kare Ga 
     Khalsa,'' ``Khalistan Zindabad,'' and ``India out of 
     Khalistan.'' Use this Vaisakhi to launch a Shantmai Morcha to 
     liberate Khalistan.
       Last year's seminar on Khalistan shows that the flame of 
     freedom still burns brightly in Punjab in spite of the Indian 
     government's brutal repression. Perhaps this is why India is 
     afraid to hold a free and fair vote on the subject of 
     independence. The essence of democracy is the right to self-
     determination.
       Remember the words of Professor Darshan Singh, former 
     Jathedar of the Akal Takht, during the celebration of Guru 
     Nanak's birthday: ``If a Sikh is not a Khalistani, he is not 
     a Sikh.'' He was only reiterating the Guru's blessing, ``In 
     Grieb Sikhin Ko Deon Patshahi.'' The time to achieve our 
     independence is now.
       Always remember our heritage: Raj Kare Ga Khalsa; Khalsa 
     Bagi Yan Badshah. Freedom for Khalistan is very close.
           Panth Da Sewadar,
                                              Gurmit Singh Aulakh,
     President.

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