[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 16 (Tuesday, February 15, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         SIKH LEADER AGAIN SPEAKS OUT FOR FREEDOM FOR KHALISTAN

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                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 15, 2005

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, there are encouraging developments in the 
fight for freedom for minorities in India. It looks like the people of 
Nagaland are making progress in their negotiations with India to 
achieve autonomy. This is a potentially significant development that 
will begin, at long last, the unraveling of the web of Indian 
oppression. Can Kashmir and Khalistan be far behind?
  To add to this, the fire of freedom continues to burn as brightly as 
ever in Punjab, Khalistan. On December 7, a Sikh leader named Simranjit 
Singh Mann, who is a former Member of India's Parliament and has held 
events right here in the Capitol and met many Members of Congress, 
again spoke out for independence for the Sikh homeland, Khalistan. Mr. 
Mann put his party, the Akali Dal, Amritsar, on record for 
independence. He pledged that he would lead a peaceful movement for 
independence, which he said was a dream of the Sikh people that ``will 
be materialized one day.'' It looks like that day is getting closer.
  The government of Punjab acted last year to cancel all water 
agreements with the other states in India, by which Punjab's water was 
being diverted to those other states. In so doing, they declared the 
sovereignty of the state of Punjab. Imagine that, Mr. Speaker. They are 
openly claiming their sovereignty. This is good to see.
  Mr. Speaker, when India became independent, the Sikhs were supposed 
to get an independent state in Punjab. But the Indian leaders assured 
them they would have ``the glow of freedom'' there, so they stayed with 
India. Well, that ``glow of freedom'' has taken the lives of over 
250,000 Sikhs as well as over 300,000 Christians in Nagaland, over 
89,000 Kashmiri Muslims, and tens of thousands of other minority 
people. It has resulted in 52,268 Sikhs being held as political 
prisoners under a repressive law called TADA that expired in 1995. It 
is time for real freedom for the Sikhs, the Nagas, the Kashmiris, and 
all people in the subcontinent.
  The essence of democracy is self-determination. If India wants to be 
treated as a democracy, it must allow self-determination and all other 
rights to all its citizens. We should not provide any money to India 
until it does. In 1948, India promised to hold a plebiscite to let the 
people of Kashmir decide their status. It's now 56 years later and they 
are still waiting. Similarly, the demand for self-determination in 
Khalistan, in Nagaland, and elsewhere has been met with nothing but 
violent resistance. Is that democracy, Mr. Speaker? Is that freedom?
  The Tribune, a newspaper in Chandigarh, Punjab, carried excellent 
coverage of Mr. Mann's remarks in its December 8 issue. I would like to 
place that article in the Record at this time for the information of my 
colleagues.

          [From the (Chandigarh, India) Tribune, Dec. 8, 2004]

                 Mann Reverts to Sovereign Punjab Theme

       Ludhiana, Dec. 7.--Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) supremo 
     Simranjit Singh Mann yesterday reverted to the theme of 
     sovereign Punjab, declaring that his party would launch a 
     peaceful movement to realise this dream. He said his party 
     had never given up the demand for a separate and sovereign 
     Punjab as the Sikhs' was a separate nationality, foundations 
     of which had been laid down by Guru Gobind Singh himself.
       Mr. Mann, who was here to preside over a meeting of the 
     party office-bearers at Gurdwara Akalgarh, said to ensure 
     lasting peace in South Asia in the face of deep hostility 
     between ``Hindu civilisation (India) and Muslim civilisation 
     (Pakistan)'', it was in the interest of the people of the 
     region to create a neutral and buffer sovereign state.
       He maintained that the foundations for a separate sovereign 
     Sikh state had been laid down by Guru Gobind Singh and Banda 
     Singh Bahadur followed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. This dream 
     was furthered by ``Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale'' and 
     ``would be materialised one day''. He said since both 
     Pakistan and India had nuclear weapons, it was necessary that 
     some buffer state should be created so that the two countries 
     did not come face to face with each other.
       Mr. Mann refused to give the geographical outline of the 
     ``sovereign state'' envisioned by him. He evaded an answer to 
     a question whether it included the part of the state which is 
     now with Pakistan.
       Welcoming the close cooperation between the Pakistani 
     Punjab and the Indian Punjab, Mr. Mann claimed it was he who 
     had initiated this move by demanding way back in 1990 that 
     the border between the two Punjabs should be opened up for 
     the people to cross over.
       To a question on the demand of the Dal Khalsa that ban on 
     cow slaughter in Punjab should go, Mr. Mann said he or his 
     organisation had nothing to do with that organisation (Dal 
     Khalsa). At the same time, he said, he or his party would not 
     like to hurt the sentiments of a majority of people as 
     ``Hindus held the cow to be sacred and their sentiments 
     should be respected''.
       Mr. Mann also accused Shiromani Akali Dal leader Parkash 
     Singh Badal of having connived with Hindu organisations in 
     demolishing the Babri mosque. He alleged that Mr. Badal had 
     sent a special jatha, led by Mr. Avtar Singh Hit, to Ayodhaya 
     on December 6, 1992, to join the kar sevaks for demolishing 
     the Babri mosque.

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