[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13081]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              COUNCIL OF KHALISTAN HONORS PRESIDENT REAGAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 17, 2004

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, all over America, people are 
honoring the memory of President Ronald Reagan, who passed away on June 
5th. Among those who have paid homage to President Reagan's legacy is 
the Council of Khalistan, led by my friend Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh. Dr. 
Aulakh wrote an excellent letter to President Bush offering condolences 
to the American people on President Reagan's passing. He took special 
note of President Reagan's vision and his efforts to extend freedom all 
over the world.
  President Reagan referred to America as ``the shining city on a 
hill,'' the bright hope for the entire world. It is our job to pick up 
that torch and continue to promote freedom wherever it is denied. A 
good start would be to work to extend freedom to all peoples and 
nations of South Asia. In India, there are 18 official languages. Over 
300,000 Christians have been murdered in Nagaland, as well as more than 
a quarter of a million Sikhs, almost 88,000 Kashmiri Muslims, thousands 
of Muslims in other parts of the country, and tens of thousands of 
Assamese, Bodos, Dalits, Manipuris, Tamils, and other minorities. Over 
52,000 Sikhs are being held as political prisoners, some as long as 20 
years, without charge of trial. According to Amnesty International, 
tens of thousands of other minorities are also being held as political 
prisoners. A Sikh named Gurnihal Singh Pirzada was recently arrested 
for attending a meeting of ``dissidents,'' a meeting he says he didn't 
attend, while noting that it would not have been illegal for him to 
have done so. This does not sound like freedom or democracy to me.
  Mr. Speaker, we should give serious thought to reconsidering our aid 
to India until basic human rights are freely exercised by all, and we 
should support the very basic principle of democracy through a free and 
fair plebiscite on independence for the Sikhs of Punjab, Khalistan, for 
predominantly Christian Nagaland, for Kashmir, and for every nation 
seeking to free itself from the yoke of Indian oppression. That is the 
way to bring freedom, security, stability, dignity, and prosperity to 
one of the world's most troubled regions. Perhaps the best memorial we 
can give to President Reagan is to help the people of South Asia 
achieve their freedom, just as we did in so many other countries during 
his Administration.
  I would like to have the text of Council of Khalistan's letter to 
President Bush placed into the Congressional Record following my 
statement.


                                          Council of Khalistan

                                    Washington, DC, June 15, 2004.
     The Honorable George W. Bush,
     President of the United States,
     The White House, Washington, DC.
       Dear President Bush: On behalf of over 500,000 Sikh 
     Americans and the 25 million strong Sikh Nation, I would like 
     to send our condolences to the people of the United States on 
     the passing of President Ronald Reagan. Although his illness 
     had already taken him from us in many ways, the finality of 
     his death is still a cause for grief.
       We appreciated your very classy remarks at President 
     Reagan's state funeral, as well as those of your father, Lady 
     Thatcher, and former Prime Minister Mulroney. All of you gave 
     moving tributes to President Reagan that helped to inspire 
     and uplift a grieving nation.
       President Reagan was a great American leader. His rise from 
     humble beginnings in Dixon, Illinois to becoming a 
     sportscaster, a movie star, governor, and President inspires 
     us all to continue trying to achieve the very highest and 
     best that we can.
       His Words, ``Whatever else history may say about me when 
     I'm gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best 
     hopes, not your worst fears; to your confidence rather than 
     your doubts. My dream is that you will travel the road ahead 
     with liberty's lamp guiding your steps and opportunity's arm 
     steadying your way'' serve as an inspiration to Americans of 
     all backgrounds today. That is exactly how he will be 
     remembered.
       President Reagan believed in the greatness of America and 
     its people and in extending freedom throughout the world. His 
     work in defeating the Soviet Union and in restoring the 
     American economy marked the greatness of President Reagan and 
     of the people of the country he so loved. We must continue to 
     extend freedom in his memory.
       One place where freedom needs to be extended is the Indian 
     subcontinent. Today in India, the Indian government has 
     murdered over 250,000 Sikhs since 1984, almost 88,000 
     Kashmiri Muslims since 1988, over 300,000 Christians in 
     Nagaland, and tens of thousands of other minorities. More 
     than 52,000 Sikhs as well as tens of thousands of other 
     minorities are held as political prisoners without charge or 
     trial, some since 1984. I hope that you will press India to 
     support human rights and self-determination for these 
     oppressed minorities. I am convinced that this would be a 
     great follow-through to President Reagan's vision.
       Once again, our condolences to the American people on the 
     loss of President Reagan.
           Sincerely,
                                          Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh,
                                   President, Council of Khalistan

     

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