Khalistan: A historical fact about to become a reality again!
TORONTO: World Sikh Organization (WSO) hosted a large banquet on Saturday. July 27, 1991 at Skyline Hotel Toronto to mark the seventh anniversary of its foundation.
WSO was founded on July 28,1984 at Madison Square Garden’s New York by a historic gathering of Sikhs assembled to express their shock and outrage at Indian Government’s armed assault on Sikhs’ holiest shrine Darbar Sahib Amritsar and many other historic gurdwaras on June 6,1984.
The record gathering of over cight hundred esteemed guests included politicians and public officials from all three levels of the government R.C.M.P. Canadian Armed Forces O.P.P. Intellectuals from the Academic profession A.N.C. and many other groups and organizations.
Pritam Singh Q.C. came from Montreal to join the festivities. In his address to the participants he highlighted the historical background of persecution of Sikhs in Canada. The tragedy of Kamagata Maru incident was not much different from the unfortunate missive from Joe Clark asking the elected public officials to boycott the activities of the Canadian Sikhs.
Rabbi Gunther Plaut set the stage with his speech outlining his own immigrant background and his recollections of persecution of the Jews in Nazi Germany and similarities with Sikhs’ sufferings today. He outlined the history of infamous ‘Kirpan case in Peel Board of Education and his rationale for coming to his decision to support the Sikhs’ right to wear the Kirpan in schools. He noted that in a hundred year history of Sikhs in Canada there has never been any incident of any Sikh misusing the Kirpan’ in any school environment anywhere in Canada. He urged the Sikhs to keep a constant vigil on peoples’ rights and fight for the rights of all minorities -not just the rights of the Sikhs.
Dr.John Spellman Professor in South Asian studies at Windsor University gave an account of his involvement with the World Sikh Organization and the role played by WSO in changing the image and perception of Sikhs in Canada. He said that Canadian Sikhs have full constitutional right to propagate the establishment of an independent and sovereign homeland called *Khalistan’. It is not a crime to do so. He found it outrageous that the govt of India will act in a criminally insane manner and deny the Canadian Sikhs their right to fulfill their family obligations at the time of death of a family member. Sikhs working under the banner of WSO have been denied Visas to attend the funeral of parents in the Sikhs’ homeland by the Indian govt and the Canadian govt has done nothing to stop this. Is selling of goods and services to India more important than the rights of its own citizens?
When a Chinese govt cracked down on its student liberation fighters and massacred nearly two thousand of its citizen’s entire world even the present govt of Canada was aghast. How come the same govt refused to take any notice of brutal massacre of thousands of innocent Sikhs in 1984 and subsequently
Dr. Spellman re-stated the fact that the govt of India has deemed to fit to overlook the most heinous crimes committed against the Sikhs tin the wake of Mrs.Gandhi’: assassination in November 1984 Is it no right for the Sikhs to stand up for their own rights as enshrined in the United Nation: charter signed by the Indian govt? Is it no’ right for the Sikhs to reclaim their home: land from India’s military occupation?
India has never been one country in its entire history of nearly 5000 years. It is a sub-continents. A country of countries Canada with a population of 25 million people is an independent country why can’t Kerala with an equal population or Tamil Nadu with twice the amount of population or Khalistan with over twenty million populations be independent sovereign republics?
- Gian Singh Sandhu International President WSO summarized the achievements of WSO and called upon the Canadian Sikhs to be cognizant of their responsibilities towards their objective of establishing ‘Khalistan’. He urged the Sikhs to beware of insidious propaganda in our society intended to sway people away from the cause. He narrated an incident in Canada’s House of Commons of March 10,1988 when Robert Kaplan during a debate on the Sikh issues mentioned that he as a Jew was fully committed to a Jewish homeland and continues to make monetary contributions for his homeland until this day. There is no reason why Sikhs should not support the cause of their homeland in any way shape or form consistent with the laws of the land
Establishment of a homeland is not much different from building your family home. You require clear ideas and three M Manpower Materials and Money. Committed and dedicated manpower is already at work in the Sikh homeland we in Canada and other foreign countries need to support them and create a favorable public opinion in our host countries.
The general erroneous impression that our active Sikh organizations in Khalistan are in disarray needs to be re-considered. Do the Sikhs in Punjab have the freedom to move about freely? Do we get teh correct news from India or Punjab? Do we get the complete and unbiased reports from the active Sikh groups? The fact is that the government of India is engaged in a very clever psychological war against the Sikhs and deliberately feeds misinformation to the world media. The govt of India also engineers and implements criminal and violent situations to slander the Sikhs. Recent killings of tains passengers is just one example
Sandhu mentioned that the Sikhs struggle for Khalistan had accomplished an important milestone of acceptance of validity of Sikhs’ demand for Khalistan The entire world is aware of Sikhs’ demand and campaign for Khalistan. At this time the Sikhs need to network with the manpower operating in Khalistan to ensure that the direction and momentum of the campaign is maintained. There are significant political logistic and strategic issues to be addressed and this will have to be done by the Sikhs outside India the Sikhs free to travel and assemble freely.
Sandhu alluded to the wave of human rights and freedoms sweeping the entire world. The movement of the Sikhs is as much a part of this as the movement of Kurds Slovenians Blacks Kashmiris Assamese or Tamils. Sandhu condemned the Canadian Govt’s interference in Sikhs’ activities by paying $75000 of Canadian taxpayers’ money to some people to set up a nationwide organization to represent the Sikhs in a manner desired by the Canadian and/or Indian Governments. It should be noted that WSO has never sought or received any funding from any level of govt and condemn use of public funds to manipulate minority Canadian groups.
The Canadian President of WSO Ram Raghbir Chahal expressed happiness with the past record of the organization and its present wellbeing inspite of the past and on-going concerted efforts to derail discredit and damage the World Sikh Organization During the past few years WSO has been called upon to address issues like Turbans in R.C.M.P’ Kirpan and turbans in schools wearing of turbans in transit services and in other work environments participation in various public and Political Processes. WSO Canada runs a full-fledged office in Ouawa which also doubles as the International Office of WSO. Various govt semi-government legal and educational institutions are beginning to rely on WSO Staff to provide them with credible timely and well researched information to assist in decision making and policy formulation Processes. Everyone is welcome to calf WSO head office during office hours to obtain information about Sikhs or Sikhism or to seek clarifications Dr. Gurinder Singh Grewal member of the International Governing Council of WSO stressed the role of Sikh freedom fighters and a strong need to neutralize the harmful and slanderous propaganda of Indian govt. He urged the Sikhs to subscribe to World Sikh News’ which carries more credible and complete coverage of the Sikh freedom Struggle than any other publication in the world. He also disclosed plans for simultaneous publication of World Sikh News from Toronto to better serve the information needs of Canadians in a more timely manner.
Baltej Singh Dhillon the Sikh young man who braved the year and a half long national controversy and made history by becoming the first Amritdhari Sikh R.C.MP. Officer in Canada was presented a commemorative plaque by WSO. Gurpal Singh Sidhu, the first turbaned and bearded Sikh on Metro Toronto Police Force, was similarly recognized.
This celebration coincided with WSO’s national Convention, Senior Wso executive member from all parts of Canada and the United States participated in a day long deliberation to take stock of the situation and established policies priorities and guideline for more effective project implementation.
The next annual meeting and national convention will be held on December 27, 29, 1991 at Khalsa Diwan society Vancouver.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 2, 1991
