NEW YORK: The massive India day parade held annually in this city was marred by violence as an apparently unruly protestor pulled a gun and shot 23yearold Gurmukh Singh injuring him critically,
19yearold Muhammad Ashraf was said to be rudely harassing some of the young women at the parade when Mr.Singh and his friends confronted young Ashraf, Witnesses said that Ashraf then pulled a 22 caliber pistol and shot Singh three times.
At this reporting Mr,Singh was in critical condition in the hospital, Community leaders feel that the media were using this as an opportunity to create further divisiveness between India and Pakistan.
WSO President, Gursharan Dhillon advises that Sikhs should beware of Government attempts to instigate trouble between Sikhs and Pakistani’s.
Furthermore, a statement from Mr. A, Sheikh, president of the Kashmir Association of America said, “This organization strongly condemns the shooting during India’s Independence Day Parade in New York in which a clean shaven Sikh brother was wounded,
We have no doubt that the Sikh jumped into the fracas, between the two hostile factions, in line with the chivalrous traditions of his great religion. It is unfortunate that he had to pay with his blood for his efforts.
The assailant, whose forefathers came from Occupied Kashmir, is a New York born full blooded American. To claim that he is a Pakistani, as has been done by the Indian ethnic press, is a Freudian Slip, as it shows that Indians know in their heart of heart that even tu ally Kashmir is going to be Paki Stan no power on earth is going to Stop that.
Specially condemnable is the crude attempt by India News, and its editor, to try to color this into a Sikh/Muslim fight. We would like to assure this man that the days of confrontation between the two monotheistic religions of South Asia, Islam and Sikhism, are over forever. Muslims and Sikhs stand shoulder to shoulder in their struggle for survival in a sea of Fascists the Hindu Brahmins and intend to live as friendly neigh boring countries of Khalistan and Pakistan.
Members of this organization apologize from the wounded brother and his family and pray to Wahe Gurv/Allah for his early recovery.”
Article extracted from this publication >> August 27, 1993
