WSN: It has been reported that you came to India from Canada after the Canadian government named you as one of the accused in the Air India crash 1984.
Talwinder S. Babar: This is a lie because the plane crashed in 1984. It is 1989 now. There has been no case for five years in this connection. 1 was implicated in the case but released after five months because there was no evidence against me. Police said they had me under surveillance, my phone was bugged, my car was bugged etc. How could I have done anything to the plane?
Globe and Mail interviewed me and their reporter told my lawyer that Canadian Intelligence had uncovered evidence of Indian Government’s involvement in the crash. I came here because I was asked to take part in the struggle against Hindu oppression. How can any Sikh tolerate the insults heaped upon the Golden Temple, his sisters and brothers?
WSN: Newspaper reports say that Sikhs are not freedom fighters but terrorists who kill entire families. How can independence be gained in this manner?
TSB: Media is wary of speaking the truth because it is manipulated by the Indian government and its money. All the news which goes out of India is the way Indian government wants it to go.
We are being terrorized but we are called terrorists. Firstly, if a young boy of 15 years or so is taken out by the police and killed in a staged encounter and his brothers kill someone in revenge, can you blame them? But in most of the cases, governments “pet dogs” are killing people and committing robberies to malign the name of the Sikhs. It is a planned conspiracy.
Didn’t Gandhi say in 1923 (when the Sikhs forced the British Government to give them the keys to the Golden Temple after a long peaceful struggle?
Didn’t Madam Mohan Malwia say that every Hindu should get one son converted to Sikhism so as to get India independent faster?
Didn’t Lala Lajpath Rai say, “We are unworthy sons, the Sikhs are the worthy ones.”
Sikhs were good then but now they are supposed to have suddenly turned bad. Like Bhagat Singh. Today’s so called “terrorists” will be recognized as freedom fighters.
WSN: How can you fake on a big power like India with your merge army. You are just getting Sikhs massacred.
TSB: Our religion teaches us to fight oppression and tyranny. If we are oppressed, it is our right to fight. Rest is up to God, Allah, Khuda. I simply believe we will get the justice due to us.
As for arms, there are massive arm dumps which are waiting for a small sparkle to ignite them.
Ninety three percent of all the lives laid down for independence were those of the Sikhs. Even the British thought they would not lose their empire. But if we could throw them out we can throw these out.
Tam trying, may the Akal Purkh give his blessings, to unite the Sikhs on one platform. Whenever this happens, within six months we will bring the Hindu government to submission. The Hindu government has infiltrated their agents in our organizations but we will week them out.
As yet only Punjab is burning but when the fire goes to the door steps of those who ignited it, then they will realize the cost of playing with fire. This fire will destroy India and if Khalistan is not made, India will be erased from the map of the world.
WSN: You say that it is not difficult to get freedom. But, there are divisions between Sikh organizations each call the other a traitor. If a few Sikhs can’t get together how will they take on a great power and create Khalistan.
TSB: You are right to a certain extent. We do have misunderstandings between organizations but the divisions are not so bad as you make them out to be am trying to bring everyone together and with God’s grace we will show them the power of the Khalsa.
WSN: How will you get everyone together? At this time there are two groups of freedom fighters, we have to get them together. We propose to set up a central committee which will designate the contribution of every overseas Sikh who will have to pay it or face confiscation of his property in Punjab.
Eighty percent of those abroad are not contributing. There are two Panthic committees. Which should be recognized. Also you are preparing another committee. What will be its dates?
TSB: I am not preparing a new committee but one common to both the committees. There is no need for a new one, Baba Gurbachan Singh Manochal, Sukhdev Singh and people of such stature amongst the Sikhs willjoin in one committee. There were a few. mistakes in the past which we will avoid. Gen Aviar Singh Bhrama and Sukhdev Singh should have been in the previous Panthic committee. Tam trying to get everyone together so that we can plan our strategies.
WSN: It is said that Pakistan government is giving arms to you, and without its support you can’t survive. In fact I see many weapons here which are also used in Afghanistan war. How do you get your arms?
TSB: Look at the Sikhs who hijacked the Indian Airlines plane. They are rotting in Pakistan jails, is this helping us or the Indian Government? The Pakistan government may or may not help us. It is its own decision. We are fighting a just war. If someone helps us we will help them. We do not forget and will not forget. There is an international arms market which has not boundaries.
WSN: Various maps of Khalistan show parts of Pakistan in it. What are the geographical dimensions of the Khalistan you envisage?
TSB: I don’t know who distributed those maps. Before partition in 1947, India had three heirs to the British rule in India. Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs got Pakistan, but Sikhs opted to have a partnership with Hindus in the rest of India. Pakistan was created and accepted by Sikhs and Hindus. So the question of encroachment in boundaries does not arise. As Hindu government has broken the partnership we want one share back. So it is India which has to be partitioned.
WSN: What will be the statue of minorities in Khalistan?
TSB: A Muslim Hindu or a Sikh will have the same equal rights as the other. There will be no discrimination. Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s reign is a good example of the secularism of Sikh rule. In Europe we do not need visas to travel; similarly we hope to have good neighborly relations with Pakistan so that we can visit our Gurdwaras there freely and vice versa.
If right thinking Hindus give the Sikhs their rights, we could have similarly good relations with them.
WSN: What are your plans?
TSB: Plans are neither static nor are meant to be disclosed. But let me tell you that the fight will accelerate. I appeal to other nations to help us liberate our country from the Hindu domination. I appeal to foreign
Government to pressurize the government of India to stop the genocide of the Sikhs and stop the desecration of our religious plans. If they do: not stop the oppression and continue in their high handedness, after Baisakhi we will paralyze Air India and stop the flow of foreign exchange earnings. We have nothing against the passengers and staff of Air India, but we want to stop the flow of the money which is used against us. Rajiv Gandhi will not last beyond 1990. We do not want to Kill him outright but to make him pay for the crimes he has committed against us. We are being terrorized but because we do not have a media we are called terrorist. Those who terrorize us are not called terrorist? Where is justice. Even the Canadian Government is oppressing us. They put Sikhs from Toronto in a prison by falsely implicating them in the Air India crash. They tried to frame me but the Judge a quitted me. They also withdrew my passport. If the foreign powers do not pressure India to stop this oppression, they are as guilty as the government of India.
WSN: Even if the government of India wants to talk to you, who should it take to?
TSB: Only after Government publically announces its intentions to give Khalistan, we will announce 10 leaders of impeccable credentials, but they do not have any credibility with us. We want ‘Britain and United States to mediate, I would also like to appeal to the British and Canadian governments to recognize the immense contributions of ‘Sikhs in their wars and other endeavors.
They should not persecute them at the instance of Indian government for minor trade gains.
I would like to appeal to the Sikh community to get over their petty differences and help the freedom fighters which ever organizations they want to, with whatever they can, money, advice, prayers, lives or in whichever way you can. The day when you will be able 10 enjoy the warmth of freedom in Khalistan is not far.
Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh
Article extracted from this publication >> March 3, 1989
