Dear Editor,
Recently Mr.Kanwal Sibal of India’s Washington D.C. Embassy in an interview said, “Today, there is peace in Punjab, in fact, it is one of the most peaceful states in India today.”
Nothing could be farther from the truth and facts, documented and observed, prove otherwise.
Punjab is a territory occupied (and one only has to read the reports of the highly respected Human Rights agencies like Amnesty International and Asia Watch to confirm this) by the ruthless, brutal, and inhuman rulers of India. Battalions of India’s security forces including and not limited to the Army, B.S.F., C.R.P.F., and paramilitary units roam around freely in the state, Visitors retiming from Punjab tell horror stories of murders, fake encounters, rapes and tortures of innocent Sikh men, women and children by the gangs of security forces. Let us not even talk of indignities one has to go through at the hands of the corrupt and unscrupulous officials while travelling from one place to another not only in the occupied territory, but also in the rest of the country, At this point I draw your attention and that of your readers to the barbaric treatment meted out to S.Anup Singh Minhas, S.P Jullunder (Punjab) when he was travelling with his family on vacation in Uttar Pradesh.
The only way to determine if there is perfect peace in Punjab is by removing the security forces and then judging the situation thereafter. It is my information that the security forces are there to Stay for an indefinite period.
Finally, I would ask Sibal to answer the following two questions. If as claimed Punjab is one of the most peaceful states, then why Sikhs residing abroad and desirous of visiting their holy places in Punjab are either denied Visas or allowed to visit specific areas only where they have no interest or reason? And why are human rights organizations still considered “person anon grata” and not allowed to visit Punjab and see things for themselves?
Amarjit Singh Buttar.
Vernon CT. Member: National Executive Council, W.S.0. (USA).
Article extracted from this publication >> September 17, 1993
