[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 11] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 15917-15919] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]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 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 [[Page 15918]] 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, 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. [[Page 15919]] ____________________