[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 68 (Thursday, May 26, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: May 26, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
REMEMBERING THE GOLDEN TEMPLE TRAGEDY
______
HON. DAN BURTON
of indiana
in the house of representatives
Thursday, May 26, 1994
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, June 3 through 6 marks the 10th
anniversary of a dark chapter in India's history. On those dates in
1984, Indian troops launched a vicious artillery attack on the holiest
shrine of the Sikh religion, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, and 38
other Sikh shrines throughout Punjab. During this massacre, 20,000
Sikhs were killed by Indian military and paramilitary forces. Since
that tragedy, over 115,000 Sikhs have been killed in India.
India may be democratic in form, but it is not in practice. In
Indian-occupied Punjab--known to Sikhs as Khalistan--basic human rights
do not exist. The Indian regime continues to station 500,000 troops in
Punjab to brutalize the people. The five black laws, such as the
Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act [TADA], allow the Indian
Government to detain anyone indefinitely without charge, shoot
civilians on sight, and torture civilians with impunity. It was
recently reported that torture centers have been established in
virtually every city in Punjab. When a Sikh dies of torture, he is
listed as having died in a fake encounter with the police. The State
Department reports that from 1991 through 1993, 41,000 bounties were
paid to police officers for killing Sikhs. Disappearances are routine.
When Prime Minister Rao came to Washington last week, he spoke to
Congress about democracy and civil rights. He even cited Thomas
Jefferson and Martin Luther King. If these two men were alive today,
they would condemn the Indian Government for its crimes against the
Sikhs, the Muslims of Kashmir, and the Christians of Nagaland. I really
regret that the Prime Minister chose not to be more candid with us
about India's brutal human rights record.
Mr. Speaker, there is a growing independence movement seeking an
independent Khalistan for the Sikh nation. Every murder India commits,
every rape, and every act of torture will only strengthen this
movement. If one thing is absolutely clear, it is that you cannot hold
an entire people captive forever at the point of a gun. This has been
proven in East Germany and the Baltic Republics. If the Sikhs truly
desire freedom, one day they will be free, despite India's brutality.
I am enclosing a letter to the Sikh people from Dr. Gurmit Singh
Aulakh, President of the Council of Khalistan, marking the 10th
anniversary of the attack on the Golden Temple. Dr. Aulakh is the most
resolute and articulate advocate in the United States of freedom and
dignity for the Sikh people. I encourage all of my colleagues to read
his remarks.
Council of Khalistan,
Washington, DC, June 1, 1994.
Dear Khalsa ji: We have suffered for ten years, but we
don't have to suffer for ten more.
On the occasion of India's desecration of our holy Golden
Temple, I ask you to remember and gain strength from the
sacrifice of our martyrs. I ask you to remember our young men
who were tortured. I ask you to remember our women who were
raped. I ask you to remember our children who were jailed. I
ask you to remember our leaders who were murdered. I ask you
to remember Sikhs who have `disappeared.' I ask you to
remember police faked `encounters' which killed tens of
thousands. I ask you to remember everyday police harassment
and humiliation inflicted on our nation. I ask you to
remember oppressive laws such as TADA. I ask you remember
police extortion, bribery, and black mail. I ask you to
remember India's broken promises. I ask you to remember the
115,000 Sikhs who have died since 1984.
Khalsa ji, after thinking about the past, I ask you to look
to our future: Can we afford to live under the Delhi
government for 10 more years?
As President of the Council of Khalistan, I have observed a
great deal over the past ten years. I have thought long and
hard about how Khalistan can be liberated. I have seen the
suffering, the ebbs and flows of our liberation struggle. Ten
long years later, one thing stands clearly in my mind: India
cannot withstand a shantmai (peaceful) morcha for the
liberation of Khalistan.
Liberation is in our own hands, nobody else's. Raise the
slogan of India Quit Khalistan.
Khalsa ji you are the Lions of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib. If
the feeble Mahatma Gandhi could raise the slogan of British
Quit India, then you can raise the slogan of India Quit
Khalistan. We must immediately begin to peacefully fill
India's jails and block its roadways. From June 4 through 6,
in remembrance of our martyrs and to demonstrate our
determination to see Khalistan free, the Sikh masses should
fill India's jails. If even 1,000 Sikhs peacefully block the
roadways with the sole and stated intention of liberating
Khalistan, world headlines will be made the next day. If this
continues, the international community will soon get
involved. India cannot withstand the shantmai morcha of the
Sikh nation. The power is in the Khalsa's hands.
In order to achieve quick liberation, our movement must
remain peaceful.
We can achieve liberation quicker through non-violent mass
agitation, rather than through indiscriminate violence. The
moment we become violent, is the moment that the Indian
government portrays the Sikh nation as terrorists. Violence
will allow the Indian government to brutally crack down on
the Sikh nation and have an excuse for it. Agents of the
Indian government will be able to infiltrate our movement and
defame it. Under no circumstances should we engage in
violence. We must remain resolute but peaceful. Freedom will
then follow.
It is time for the Khalsa Panth to remain true to its
heritage: Khalsa Bagi Yan Badhshah.
Khalsa ji, our own Gurus gave their lives in order to
preserve Sikh sovereignty and resist governing tyranny. Our
history is rich with the stories of martyrs who gave their
lives in order to establish Sikh Raj. Baba Deep Singh, Bhai
Mani Singh, and Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa all held our Nishan
Sahib high in the air. They fought and died and suffered so
that Sikh Raj could exist in the Sikh homeland. We must now
look to their sacrifice and gain strength: Khalsa Bagi Yan
Badshah.
If the leadership vacillates, then the masses should take
the lead.
I am pleased by the recent efforts at Akali unity.
Unfortunately they have come ten years too late and come too
short in their stated goals. The Akalis must remember:
Khalistan is the only issue facing the Sikh nation. The
problem is not with the masses, it is with the Akalis. If the
Akalis are clear and unequivocal in their call for Khalistan,
then the masses will follow. The more the Akalis waver, the
more the masses will suffer--this is guaranteed. Many Indian
agents have infiltrated the Sikh leadership. I ask the masses
to find those leaders and reject them. Raise only the slogan
of `India Out of Khalistan'.
Khalistan will be free by 1999.
India is simply not viable. It is the last of the world's
super-states. There is no other country in the world that has
so many official languages. There is no other country in the
world which employs its own troops so extensively against its
own people. Through peaceful agitation, even India's army
will not be able to suppress the Sikh nation for too long.
Because of the pressure from Sikhs outside Khalistan, the
international community will immediately object to any
suppression of peaceful agitators. Khalsa ji, the power is in
your hands. We must make a future that is safe for our
children and future generations. As a tribute to our martyrs,
to those who have died in the past ten years, I ask the Sikh
nation to launch a shantmai morcha for the liberation of
Khalistan. Only then will Khalistan be free. Raj Karega
Khalsa. Khalistan Zindabad.
Panth Da Das,
Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh,
President, Council of Khalistan.
____
[From The Washington Times, May 16, 1994]
Rao in the Lions' Den
(By James Morrison)
When Indian Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao addresses a
joint session of Congress this week, he will find he has many
hostile critics in the audience.
Thirty-eight members of Congress wrote President Clinton
and 42 members signed a letter to Indian Ambassador Siddartha
Shankar Ray last week, complaining about Indian mistreatment
of its Sikh minority, which is fighting for a separate
homeland.
Both letters were signed by House Armed Service Committee
Chairman Ron Dellums, California Democrat, and many members
of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The letter to Mr. Clinton urged him to discontinue aid to
India.
``We believe the world has turned its back on the Sikhs * *
* long enough,'' the letter said. ``Without the right of
self-determination, all other rights in the Sikh homeland are
effectively denied.''
The missive to the ambassador expressed congressional
concern ``over mounting tensions in the Sikh homeland,
Punjab, Khalistan.'' Mr. Ray could not be reached for
comment.
The letter to Mr. Ray said, ``Last year the House of
Representatives voted unanimously to cut $4.1 million in
developmental assistance to India because of its gross human
rights violations. * * * Since that time * * * the situation
has only gotten worse.''
The letter said the State Department's latest human rights
report on India ``painted a bleak human rights landscape.''
The report condemned police in the Punjab for ``extrajudicial
killings'' and torture. It cited the Indian government for
paying bonuses to police officers for killing suspected Sikh
militants.
Both letters cited the case of Kanwar Singh Dhami and his
family who ``have endured 10 months of harsh imprisonment.''
Mr. Rao is due in Washington on Thursday to meet Mr.
Clinton and address Congress.
____________________