[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 94 (Wednesday, July 13, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1478-E1480]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
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SIKH FLAG RAISED IN CALIFORNIA
______
HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS
of new york
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, on July 3 in Turlock, California, the Sikh
flag was raised at an event there. There were speeches from
[[Page E1479]]
many distinguished Sikhs, including Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President
of the Council of Khalistan, and many others. The event was organized
by Dal Khalsa America, the American branch of a Sikh political party
that is strongly in support of independence for Khalistan, the Sikh
homeland. Leaders of Dal Khalsa have been arrested in India, along with
other leaders, for raising the Khalistani flag there.
In all, dozens were charged last month on the 21st anniversary of
India's military attack on the Golden Temple for daring to raise the
flag of Khalistan and making speeches, even though these are not crimes
in India. They are not crimes in any democratic country. Yet these
charges follow the arrests of 35 Sikhs in January for hoisting the Sikh
flag and making speeches on India's Republic Day.
These are just the latest acts in a pattern of repression that
includes the killings of over 250,000 Sikhs since 1984, over 300,000
Christians in Nagaland, over 89,000 Muslims in Kashmir, tens of
thousands more Christians and Muslims around the country, and tens of
thousands of Assamese, Bodos, Dalits, Manipuris, Tamils, and other
minorities. It seems that the more support for the freedom movement
rises, the more brutal India's repression of it gets.
Self-determination is the essence of democracy. But instead of
settling the issue of freedom democratically in a free and fair vote,
India chooses to suppress the freedom movements with excessive and
brutal force.
I am glad that we do not live in that kind of democracy, Mr. Speaker.
Instead, we live in a country where you can say what you want, believe
what you want, and raise a flag if you want. We must do what we can to
help bring India to that kind of democracy, especially with Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh coming for a visit soon.
Mr. Speaker, the time has come to stop our aid and trade with India
and to put the Congress on record in support of self-determination for
the people of Punjab, Khalistan, of Kashmir (as India promised in
1948), of predominantly-Christian Nagaland, and of the other states and
nations seeking their freedom. It should start with the dropping of all
charges against those arrested or charged for raising a flag and with
the release of all political prisoners, and I urge President Bush to
bring up these two issues when Prime Minister Singh is here. Only when
these goals are achieved can India be welcomed into the family of
democratic nations. Only then can these minorities live in freedom,
peace, security, stability, dignity, and prosperity.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to place the Council of Khalistan's press
release on the flag raising in California and its open letter on the
charges against the Sikh activists who raised the flag into the Record
at this time.
Khalistan Flag Hoisted in California, USA
Washington, D.C., July 12, 2005.--At an event on July 3 in
Turlock, California, Sardar Paramjit Singh Sekhon and Sardar
Gagandeep Singh of Dal Khalsa America, invited Dr. Gurmit
Singh Aulakh, President of the Council of Khalistan, to hoist
the flag of Khalistan. The Council of Khalistan is the
government pro tempore of Khalistan. It is leading the
struggle for Khalistan's independence. Dal Khalsa has led
several marches and other events in Punjab to promote
independence for Khalistan, the Sikh homeland that declared
its independence from India on October 7, 1987. The event was
shown throughout India on an Indian television channel called
Aaj Tak on July 6. Dr. Aulakh was interviewed by a California
representative of Voice of America.
As soon as Dr. Aulakh raised the flag, slogans of
``Khalistan Zindabad'' (``Long live Khalistan'') were raised.
Speakers at the event spoke out strongly for a free and
independent Khalistan. Speakers included Dr. Awatar Singh
Sekhon from Canada, Dr. Aulakh, Sardar Sekhon, Sardar Ajit
Singh Pannu, Dr. Ranbir Singh Sandhu from Tracy, California,
Sardar Karj Singh Sandhu from Philadelphia, Dr. Paramjit
Singh Ajrawat, Sardar Dharam Singh Bains of Philadelphia, and
others.
``If anyone speaks out for freedom, the Indian government
labels them terrorists,'' Dr. Aulakh said. ``This is not
going to work. Everyone knows the modus operandi of the
Indian government.'' The Indian government has murdered over
250,000 Sikhs since 1984, more than 300,000 Christians in
Nagaland since 1948, over 90,000 Muslims in Kashmir since
1988, and tens of thousands of Tamils, Assamese, Bodos,
Manipuris, Dalits, and others. The Indian Supreme Court
called the Indian government's murders of Sikhs ``worse than
a genocide.''
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! ``These prisoners never committed
any crime but peacefully speaking out for Sikh freedom,''
said Dr. Aulakh. ``How can there be political prisoners in a
democracy?'' he asked. ``We demand the release of all
political prisoners,'' he said.
``As Professor Darshan Singh, a former Jathedar of the Akal
Takht, said, `If a Sikh is not a Khalistani, he is not a
Sikh','' Dr. Aulakh noted. He added that the event in Turlock
was in line with the strong sentiment for freedom in Punjab,
Khalistan. ``We must work hand-in-hand, the Sikh diaspora and
our Sikh brothers and sisters in Punjab, Khalistan, until the
glow of freedom shines on a free and sovereign Khalistan,''
he said. ``I thank Sardar Sekhon for organizing this event.''
``The flame of freedom still burns bright in the hearts of
Sikhs despite the deployment of over half a million Indian
troops to crush it,'' Dr. Aulakh said. ``Last year, Punjab
Chief Minister Amarinder Singh signed a bill canceling the
agreements that allowed the diversion of Punjabi water to
non-riparian states. The bill asserted the sovereignty of
Punjab. Sardar Atinder Pal Singh, another former Member of
Parliament, held a seminar on Khalistan in Punjab. It was
well attended and featured outstanding presentations,
including one by Professor Gurtej Singh, IAS, Professor of
Sikhism,'' he said. ``Dal Khalsa has held marches through
Punjab demanding the establishment of an independent
Khalistan.''
On the Anniversary of the Indian government's military
attack on the Golden Temple, the center and seat of Sikhism,
last month, Dal Khalsa, the Khaisa Panchayat, the Shiromani
Akali Dal (Amritsar), Damdami Taksal, the Sikh Student
Federation (Bittu), and the Akal Federation marched through
the streets of Amritsar demanding freedom for Khalistan. They
carried posters of the demolished Golden Temple and
distributed pamphlets on the life of Sant Jarnail Singh
Bhindranwale, a Sikh leader who was murdered in the Golden
Temple attack along with General Shabeg Singh, Bhai Amrik
Singh, and others. Bhindranwale was a strong advocate of Sikh
freedom. Dal Khalsa also raised the flag of Khalistan on
Republic Day, January 26. 35 Sikhs were arrested at that
time. Some of them have been denied bail. Cases were
registered against dozens of Sikhs for raising the Sikh flag
at the Golden Temple on the anniversary of the Golden Temple
attack in the presence of over 30,000 Sikhs. Warrants have
been issued for their arrest. Those charged include Dal
Khalsa leaders such as Kanwarpal Singh Bittu, Sarabjit Singh
Ghuman, Dr. Manjinder Singh Jandi, and others, as well as
former Member of Parliament Simranjit Singh Mann.
History shows that multinational states such as India are
doomed to failure. Countries like Austria-Hungary, India's
longtime friend the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia,
and others prove this point. India is a polyglot like those
countries, thrown together for the convenience of the British
colonialists. It is doomed to break up as they did. Steve
Forbes, writing in Forbes magazine, said that India is a
multinational, multiethnic, multireligious, multicultural,
multilinguistic state that is doomed to disintegrate like the
Austro-Hungarian Empire.
``We must continue to pray for and work for our God-given
birthright of freedom,'' Dr. Aulakh said. ``Without political
power, religions cannot flourish and nations perish.''
____
Council of Khalistan,
Washington, DC, July 12, 2005.
Dear Khalsa Ji: Last month on the anniversary of India's
brutal military attack on the Golden Temple and 125 other
Gurdwaras throughout Punjab, dozens of Sikhs were charged by
the Indian government. Warrants for their arrest were issued.
Their crime was raising the flag of Khalistan in the presence
of over 30,000 Sikhs. We salute them for this action and for
their courage. Apparently, peacefully demonstrating in
support of self-determination and freedom can get you
arrested in India. Unfortunately, this is part of a pattern.
The flame of freedom continues to burn brightly in the
heart of the Sikh Nation. No force can suppress it. On
Republic Day, Sikh leaders raised the Sikh flag in Amritsar
and made speeches in support of Khalistan. 35 Sikhs were
arrested for raising the Sikh flag. Eleven of them continue
to be held and they have been denied bail. I was invited to
raise the flag on July 3 in Turlock, California, at an event
organized by Dal Khalsa America. I would like to thank Sardar
Paramjit Singh Sekhon and Sardar Gagandeep Singh of Dal
Khalsa America, who invited me to hoist the flag of
Khalistan. Speakers included Dr. Awatar Singh Sekhon from
Canada, Dr. Aulakh, Sardar Sekhon, Sardar Ajit Singh Pannu,
Dr. Ranbir Singh Sandhu from Tracy, California, Sardar Karj
Singh Sandhu from Philadelphia, Dr. Paramjit Singh Ajrawat,
Sardar Dharam Singh Bains of Philadelphia, and others. The
event was shown throughout India on an Indian television
channel called Aaj Tak on July 6. I was interviewed by a
California representative of Voice of America. When I raised
the flag, slogans of ``Khalistan Zindabad'' were raised.
In 1699, Guru Gobind Singh gave sovereignty to the Sikh
Nation, giving the blessing ``In grieb Sikhin ko deon
Patshahi'' (``I give sovereignty to the humble Sikhs.'') Just
two years after his departure from this earthly plane in
1708, the Sikhs established our own independent state in
Punjab. Sikhs ruled Punjab from 1710 to 1716 and from 1765 to
1849. There was no such thing as India then.
Today we struggle to regain the sovereignty that Guru
Gobind Singh bestowed upon us over 300 years ago. Yet the
Jathedar of the Akal Takht, Joginder Singh Vedanti, was
quoted as saying that ``We don't want a separate territory.''
Does Jathedar Vedanti,
[[Page E1480]]
like every other Sikh, pray ``the Khalsa shall rule'' every
morning and evening? Has he forgotten our heritage of
freedom? How can the spiritual leader of the Sikh religion
deny the Sikh Nation's legitimate aspiration for freedom and
sovereignty? Is he not stung by the words of one of his
predecessors, former Akal Takht Jathedar Professor Darshan
Singh, who said, ``If a Sikh is not a Khalistani, he is not a
Sikh''? Is Akal Takht occupied by a person who does not
believe in Sikh values and Sikh aspirations?
Punjab's Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh, was
declared a hero of the Sikh Nation for asserting Punjab's
sovereignty and preserving Punjab's natural resource, its
river water, for the use of Punjab farmers by cancelling
Punjab's water agreements. In so doing, Amarinder Singh and
the Legislative Assembly explicitly declared the sovereignty
of the state of Punjab. In December former Member of
Parliament Simranjit Singh Mann again reverted to public
support of Khalistan. He pledged that his party will lead a
peaceful movement to liberate Khalistan. Obviously, Mr. Mann
is aware of the rising support of our cause. Mann joins
Sardar Atinder Pal Singh, Sardar D.S. Gill of the
International Human Rights Organization, and other Sikh
leaders in Punjab in supporting freedom for Khalistan openly.
Jagjit Singh, President of Dal Khalsa, was quoted in the
Deccan Herald as saying that ``the Indian government can
never suppress the movement. Sikh aspirations can only be met
when they have a separate state.'' There is no other choice
for the Sikh nation but a sovereign, independent Khalistan.
Every Sikh leader must come out openly for Khalistan. We
salute those Sikh leaders in Punjab who have done so.
Any organization that sincerely supports Khalistan deserves
the support of the Sikh Nation. However, the Sikh Nation
needs leadership that is honest, sincere, consistent, and
dedicated to the cause of Sikh freedom. Leaders like Dr.
Jagjit Singh Chohan, Harchand Singh Longowal, Didar Bains,
Ganga Singh Dhillon, the Akali Dal leadership, and others who
were complicit in the attack on the Golden Temple cannot be
trusted by the Sikh Nation. The evidence against them is
clear in Chakravyuh: Web of Indian Secularism. The Sikh
Nation cannot believe that these leaders will not betray the
cause of Khalistan, just as they betrayed the Sikh Nation in
1984. We must be careful If we are to continue to move the
cause of freedom for Khalistan forward in 2005 as we did in
2004.
The Akali Dal conspired with the Indian government in 1984
to invade the Golden Temple to murder Sant Bhindranwale and
20,000 other Sikh during June 1984 in Punjab. Even the Pope
spoke out strongly against this invasion and desecration of
our most sacred shrine. How can these so-called Sikh leaders
connive with the people who carried It out? If Sikhs will not
even protect the sanctity of the Golden Temple, how can the
Sikh Nation survive as a nation?
The Akali Dal has lost all its credibility. The Badal
government was so corrupt openly and no Akali leader would
come forward and tell Badal and his wife to stop this
unparallelled corruption. If Jathedar Vedanti opposes freedom
and sovereignty for the Sikh Nation, then he is not fit to
sit in Akal Takht, in the seat of the Khalsa Panth. The Sikh
Nation should have a Jathedar who is committed to restoring
sovereignty that is our birthright and that Guru Gobind Singh
granted.
Is this the freedom that Guru Gobind Singh bestowed upon
us? Is this the ``glow of freedom'' that Nehru promised us
when Master Tara Singh and the Sikh leaders of the time chose
to take our share with India?
The Council of Khalistan has stood strongly and
consistently for liberating our homeland, Khalistan, from
Indian occupation. For over 19 years we have led this fight
while others were trying to divert the resources and the
attention of the Sikh Nation away from the issue of freedom
in a sovereign, independent Khalistan. Khalistan is the only
way that Sikhs will be able to live in freedom, peace,
prosperity, and dignity. It is time to start a Shantmai
Morcha to liberate Khalistan from Indian occupation.
The Akal Takht Sahib and Darbar Sahib are under the control
of the Indian government, the same Indian government that has
murdered more than a quarter of a million Sikhs in the past
twenty years. The Jathedar of the Akal Takht and the head
granthi of Darbar Sahib toe the line that the Indian
government tells them. They are not appointed by the Khalsa
Panth. Otherwise they would behave like a real Jathedar,
Jathedar Gurdev Singh Kaunke, rather than like Indian
government puppet Jathedar Aroor Singh, who gave a Siropa to
General Dyer for the massacre of Sikhs and others at
Jallianwala Bagh. These institutions will remain under the
control of the Indian regime until we free the Sikh homeland,
Punjab, Khalistan, from Indian occupation and oppression and
sever our relations with the New Delhi government.
The Sikhs in Punjab have suffered enormous repression at
the hands of the Indian regime in the last 25 years. 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! Another 52,268 are being held as political
prisoners. Some have been in illegal custody since 1984! Over
250,000 have been murdered at the hands of the Indian regime.
Even now, the capital of Punjab, Chandigarh, has not been
handed over to Punjab, but remains a Union Territory. How can
Sikhs have any freedom living under a government that would
do these things?
Sikhs will never get any justice from Delhi. The leaders in
Delhi are only interested in imposing Hindu sovereignty over
all the minorities to advance their own careers and their own
power. Ever since independence, India has mistreated the Sikh
Nation, starting with Patel's memo labelling Sikhs ``a
criminal tribe.'' What a shame for Home Minister Patel and
the Indian government to issue this memorandum when the Sikh
Nation gave over 80 percent of the sacrifices to free India.
How can Sikhs continue to live in such a country? There is
no place for Sikhs in supposedly secular, supposedly
democratic India. Let us dedicate ourselves to living up to
the blessing of Guru Gobind Singh. It is time to launch a
Shantmai Morcha to liberate Khalistan. We must demand self-
determination in a free and fair vote, the democratic way. It
is time to shake ourselves loose from the yoke of Indian
oppression and liberate our homeland, Khalistan, so that all
Sikhs may live lives of prosperity, freedom, and dignity.
Sincerely,
Gurmit Singh Aulakh,
President.
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