WASHINGTON,DC: The Indian government on Jan.25 planted a bomb in New Delhi during a Republic Day visit by British Prime Minister John’ Major in order to blame the incident on so-called “Sikh terrorists,” After Indian officials claimed to have “uncovered plot” to kill the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sikhs were promptly ascribed blame and four Sikhs were arrested.
“This is nothing more than a fabrication on the part of the Indian government,” said Dr.Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President of the Council of Khalistan, “Sikhs are making great strides in our struggle for freedom from India and the Indian government wants to malign us in the eyes of the international community.” On January 24,1993 Khalistan was admitted as a full member into the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization during the organization’s annual General Assembly, The UNPO, a well-respected organization with strong connections to the United Nations and the international community, is dedicated to advancing the aspirations of its members through nonviolent means. Former founding members who have already gained membership in the United Nations include Latvia, Estonia, Georgia and Armenia.
The Khalistan movement’s rowing recognition in the international community makes India, in Dr,Aulakh’s words, “very nervous.” India, he says, “is threatened by any strides the Sikhs nation makes with the world community and this recent bomb scare is just another attempt by the government of India to malign the Sikhs in the eyes of the world. We have seen it before and we’re seeing it again.”
Indeed, for almost a decade, the Indian government has led a campaign of disinformation against the Sikh nation falsely characterizing them as “bloodthirsty terrorists.” Take the case of bombing of the AirIndia Boeing 747 on June 23,1985. Just before the jet exploded off the coast of Ireland, and even before news of the bombing got to the media, India had issued a statement blaming so-called “Sikh terrorists.” Upon investigation it was found that all Indian government officials scheduled for the flight suspiciously canceled their reservations only a few hours before boarding. This led two reporters by the names of Kashmen and McAndrew to embark on a four year investigation which uncovered an Indian government conspiracy to bomb the AirIndia flight so that India could blame the Sikhs and discredit the Sikh independence movement. “The Indian government killed 329 people in that bombing,” said Dr.Aulakh, “and they want the world to believe that the Sikhs are “I forthrightly deny any implication of the Sikh independence movement in this bomb scare,” pronounced Dr.Aulakh, “This is an attempt by the Indian government to discredit the Sikh freedom movement by attributing £0 us the tactics of terrorism, Sikhs are not terrorist, we renounce violence in the struggle for Khalistan and the record clearly shows that it is the Indian government who is the terrorist.
“Sikhs have nothing against Prime Minister John Major, We respect him as one of the world’s prominent leaders, and I appeal to him to use his good offices to mediate a termination of India’s brutality against the Sikh nation. Many times I have written him seeking his help in the movement for Sikh freedom. It is absurd to think that Sikhs would somehow reach the preposterous conclusion that harming Prime Minister Major would advance their cause. Conversely, such a maneuver would add credence to the Indian government’s slander that Sikhs are nothing more than crazed terrorists seeking the demise of ordered society. India understands this fact, and this is why it pulls such stunts.
“But India’s tactics of disinformation are fast growing obsolete. Khalistan is now a member of the UNPO and every day is gaining acceptance in the world community. I warn India to stop the oppression of the Sikhs before it embarrasses itself further on the world stage. And I appeal to the international community to pressure India to cease its brutality against not only the Sikh nation but other oppressed minorities like the Muslims of Kashmir, the Christians of Nagaland, the Tamils of Tamil Nadu and the Assamese. The International community should link aid to India to respect for freedom, human rights, and elimination of chemical and nuclear weapons of mass destruction. If the world truly wants to see peace in South Asia, it should send an unequivocal message to the Indian government, the chief Sponsor of violence in the region, that its tactics of disinformation and government by oppression are no longer acceptable. The time is now for India to cease its brutality against the Sikhs and other minority nations and peoples. The time is now for freedom.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 19, 1993
