WASHINGTON: Twenty four Sikh organizations of United States and Canada last week affirmed that they were united for Khalistan while shaping their destiny and asked India not to erect barriers “amongst us or against us.” In an advertisement published in the New York Times on the opinion page ‘on Monday, recently, these organizations accused India of using state sponsored terrorism as an instrument of policy against the Sikhs and in Kashmir. “Since 1947 India has used state sponsored terror as an instrument of policy in different forms in occupied Punjab and other restless areas like Kashmir in contravention of UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” the organizations said Sikhs round the world were united and ready to continue their struggle for Kashmir which had entered a sophisticated and advanced phase.
He said the Sikhs were extending full support to the struggle of the Kashmiri people against illegal and forcible occupation by India as they were cooperating with all other oppressed and persecuted minorities in India.
“All those who are being oppressed by India should get united and aloof progress has been made in this regard.” he said. Dr. Singh recalled that in June 94a complete strike was observed in Kashmir in support of Sikhs in Punjab. “We are reciprocating in the same way internationally. Kashmiri brothers are with us, the organizations expressed the hope that the internal policy if the United States would not be made subservient to short term economic interests. “These short term interests should never prevail upon the moral duty prescribed by Thomas Jefferson,” the Sikhs maintained. The ad referred to police intimidation, torture, gang rape, kidnapping and extrajudicial killings in Punjab and Kashmir and called upon public opinion leaders in the United States to condemn India.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 3, 1996
