[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]]



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