Washington, D.C, :Dr. Amarjit Singh, a spokesman for the Panthic Committee, Khalistan Affairs Center, and Dr. Rajwant Singh, a spokesman for the P.H.R.O. of North America, addressed the National Press Club in Washington D.C.
Sikhs address national Press Group We wish to inform you of the plight of Sikh Nation in the state of India. The government of India has in a vicious campaign of disinformation and misinformation brandished the movement for national liberation by the Sikhs as 4 terrorist and violent campaign, Most of the international press too, has continued to play host to India’s relentless propaganda machine, In recent in India, stated that “it provides lite insight into why Sikhs are dying for a home land that they call Khalistan.” By denying Sikhs their most basic and inalienable rights, and unleashing a campaign of terror on the Sikhs people, the government of India has forced the peace loving and enterprising Sikh Nation to struggle for its rightful independence.
In 1947, at the time to transfer of | power from the British to the Indian state, the Sikh were the third party receiving “home rule”. The Sikh Nation opted with India upon assurances by the then Indian Leaders, Nehru and Gandhi to grant Sikhs their territorial and sovereign rights in their homeland of Punjab, and guaranteed that no law affecting Sikhs would be passed without their consent.
It is worth noting that the Sikhs have to date not signed and ratified the Indian constitution. In 1950, at the time of the framing of the present constitution, the Sikh representatives in the Constituent Assembly walked out rather than consent to a constitution that does not even recognize Sikhs as a separate entity. Yet this document is used to legitimate actions and Jaws that ignore all prospects of established international laws and covenants. Since 1966, barring the dictatorial era of Emergency”, not one state legislature of Punjab has been allowed to run through its entire tenure of five years due to a repeated application of Presidents Rule, Since May 1987, the entire state has been under a virtual martial law with the dissolution of the state assembly. Legal powers have been removed from the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government and paced in the hands of a police, paramilitary and army force known for its brutality and oppression against the very citizens it is supposed to protect. Despite Several reports and accumulated evidence by amnesty International and Asia Watch of torture, rape and looting by security forces to date not one police official or soldier has been charged with any sort of offence. In 1989, the then Director General of Police opposed taking legal action against police officials charged by the Supreme Count for torturing distances at the Ladha Kothi ail, on grounds that “prosecution would demoralize the police force.” In 1991, a Brigadier of the Indian Army sent letters to the Mayors of Six villages stating that he would call the male population of the villages confine the women 10 tents and “breed a new race.” Speaking on the current situation in Punjab, Congressman Dan Bunt on said, “I have started to think of the Punjab as having even worse problems than the U.S. did back in 1776, In think its improper for me just say that they are surfing from severe oppression. I can understand their desire to get freedom and democracy and human rights at any price.”
In its most recent attempt to up press he Sikhs and manipulate their emotions and sentiments for S own selfish goals, the Indian government has massed more than 80,000 troops to supplement over 250,000 paramilitary and police ores in the Sikh homeland of Punjab. The Indian government as unleashed another campaign of store in order to force the Sikh populace to submit to the will of ne Indian state rather than allow or a genuine democratic expression of the popular sentiment. AS “congress man Dan Burton iterated the real purpose behind the deployment was to quell any and all voices brave enough to speak out or freedom, democracy and human rights.” To justify the use of brutal military force and its undeclared martial law against freedom and. Peace loving Sikhs, as manipulated antisocial and criminal elements to attack innocent civilians and discredit and he Sikh movement for independence. Moreover, in the so called democratic” state, the absolute monopoly over the media is then used for a further manipulation of events.
The people of Punjab have lost faith in the existing government which has never honored its promises to the Sikhs, Instead of living them a glow of freedom, he Indian govt has systematically indulged in a policy of Sikh genocide. The Panthic Committee spearheading the movement of independent Sikh homeland Khalistan called for a boycott of elections held on Feb. 19, 1992 Major Sikh political parties answered the calling keeping with the views of the masses.
With 80% people staying home and not participating in pols, sends a clear cut signal to the whole world that the Sikhs are against the present setup, they reject the Indian constitution and are Independent Sikh republic. The Panthic Committee stands by the Declaration of Independence by the Sikh Nation on April 29, 1986 and calls for a negotiated settlement to the conflict.
We call upon other nations in the world to raise a voice against the brutal suppression of the Sikh nations right to self-determination by the Indian government and its various agencies and institutions, With the crumbling of the Soviet Union, the Indian Union stands as the last state imprisoning various nationalities through a practice of Soviet styled democratic centralism and under a garb of artificial statehood. The aspiration for freedom is not only in Punjab, but also in the other Indian states of Kashmir, Assan, Nagaland and other Northeastern states, The Indian leaders should learn from their Kremlin counter parts and readily agree wo a devolution of power rather than suppress people’s desire for freedom and democracy at a tragic cost of human life.
Punjab Human Rights Organization
Head Office: 27D Sarabha Nagar, Ludhiana, India 141001 Offices (Overseas): London, Toronto, Vancouber, New York & Washington D.C.
3063 Shepper ton Terrace, Silver Spring, MD 20904 (801)3843576 _(301)7401225
Punjab Human Rights Organization would like to draw your attention to brutal violations of human rights of life, liberty, proper men, freedom of expression, and press by the Indian government in the state of Punjab.
Amid this repression and lack of, fair and free means, in the presence of massive military deployed here, Indian government decided to hold elections and aligned themselves with the ongoing mass movement for independent home land. Punjab Human Rights Organization (PHRO) has evidence that a few Sikh candidates who did not join the election boycott earlier, sided with the call of majority later on when either their own nomination papers were not accepted by the government or they were forbidden to campaign freely because of their leanings towards the Independent State.
Under genocide like policy of the Indian government, the Sikhs in Punjab as well as other minorities in Kashmir, Assam, Nagaland and most other state in India continue to suffer from the brutal persecution and repression in modern times. It continues to suppress the legitimate movement in Punjab for the expression of the Sikh Nations right to self-determination for freedom and liberation, popularly known as the Khalistan movement.
In the past year, several human rights organizations have severely criticized and condemned the draconian laws in place and the horrific abuse of human rights by Indian security forces. Most notably, Amnesty International and Asia Watch released report highlighting the violation of human rights and antidemocratic practices adopted by the Indian state.
The government repression has gone so far that during elections, major Indian daily newspapers like the Indian Express, Daily Tribune, and Punjabi Ajit were rigorously censored for publishing any news or statement in favor of boycott of elections or against the government. In the Indian Express of, Feb, 18,1992, Mr. Prabhu Chawla has informed the readers that the Home Minister of Indian, S.B. Chavan (2nd person in comment) has suggested a group of editors underplay new items relating to the protests by government employees, and teacher, from other state against their deployment on poll duty in Punjab. Mr. Chawla further commented in his column that “only the government which have a font to hide…bend over backwards to muzzle the press and thus to stifle the freedom of expression”. Press censorship posed by the government on the eve of elections in the state has evoked widespread condemnation. The Editors Guild of India described it as “blatant attack on the freedom of the press”.
The statement issued by the People’s Rights Organization, a human rights group, pointed out “there was no censorship law operating in the state” and condemned unreasonable and unwarranted restrictions on the freedom of the press. Mr. Barjinder Singh, Editor of major Punjabi Newspaper, Daily Ajit said that “copies of various papers had been seized without any reasons being given. Government officials accompanied by policemen entered the newspaper offices and forcibly sipped the printing press”.
PHRO has received many reports of widespread irregularities by the government during elections. It has evidence that fake votes were cast in the presence of authorities and in some cases they have assisted ruling party’s candidates in this fraud. The turnover of voters according to news media was as low as 510% in the rural areas and less than 25% in the Urban areas, Major political commentators had warned the govt. that the elections would be meaningless if have polling was less than 30%.
Peaceful rallies in support of election boycott were organized by major political parties on Feb. 2 and Feb. 11 but unfortunately both of these gatherings were disrupted by the security forces, and their leaders arrested.
“The government of India, confident that the worldviews its human rights situation with rose colored lasses, continues to ignore the voices of protest that are often raised, Public leaders in many countries, who are unaccustomed to hearing the mention of violence and repression in the context of India, continue to support India in alts aspects.
Forever, the winds of freedom have changed the ace of the world. The Western democracies have shown commendable concern for the loss of the human lives in Croatia, Slovenia, the Baltic States, China, and the Soviet Union. Many nations have emerged on the face of the Earth
Own destiny. It is time that people of Punjab be also given an opportunity for democratic expression of their free will and to decide their own fate under United Nation supervision.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 6, 1992
