From our Canadian Correspondent

TORONTO: Simranjit Singh Mann, who is dubbed as Mandela of Sikhs, appeared on the Ankhila Punjab TV on September 17,1994 and urged Sikhs in Canada and U.S.A. to support the Sikh confederation, and if it fails, then demand the sovereign Sikh state. Neither he nor the interviewer in hiding with a husky voice mentioned Khalistan at all. The interviewer was believed to be prerecorded somewhere in Punjab and the cassette was smuggled out of India for the live transmission across North America on the pro Khalistan Ankhila Punjab TV, hosted by Sukhminder Singh Hansra. It provided viewers an opportunity to get the Sikh freedom message direct from Mann.

Mann Sahib appeared to be very tense but spoke very truthfully, that over 70,000 Sikhs are in the Indian jails, that over 110,000 Sikhs have been slaughtered by the Indian army police combined, that no support from any foreign government is coming to the Sikh freedom struggle and that he had to close his Chandigarh office for the lack of cash. He said, “India is going on with the peace treaties and pacts with the Western powers and remain careless to the aspirations and demands of Sikhs in India. It’s time it must be stopped and I appeal to the Sikhs who are in love with the Sikh freedom struggle to support us as no support is coming now.’ What now? Mann is ,also in cash crises and poverty? Must the Sikhs renounce the freedom struggle? What has happened to the Sikh leadership in India and abroad? And why he was silent on Khalistan and did not give any blueprint, plan or order? Did he miss his chance and messed on the A.P. TV? Many Sikhs are baffled by these questions but the summary of the Mann interview is: no cash, no freedom, Just last week, Dr. Jasdev Singh Rai of London, U.K. said “Until worldwide Sikh national conscience finds some form, their economic, social and cultural realization will continue to be undermined in many countries by the perpetual conflict they find themselves in,” He had made his presentation to the United Nations Economic and Social Council on discrimination and minorities, Sikhs area minority group, who seem to have failed to adept methods and operations to get recognition to their cause from any super power so far. It will continue unless the conflict within Sikhs is resolved and global networking is achieved. Sikhs have to learn freedom lessons from South Africa, Palestine, even Haiti, and apply them. Mann must be invited out of India.

Mann’’s leader in coalition of Akali Dal Amritsar, jathedar Prof. Manjit Singh, who was on a tour of North America, was demanding Sikh fundamentals and ethics from Sikhs everywhere, rather than the Sikh freedom demand.

Such are the diversity of opinions among Sikhs today, who will be celebrating 300 years of Khalsa Panth in 1999! There is a need to invest time, talent and money on the Sikh Khalsa oriented issues, education, understanding with the superpowers, pressure groups, federal bodies and pro-Sikh personalities. Instead, many Sikhs and Khalistanis had invested their millions of dollar savings in private groups and appear to have lost it, Hell with Mann and Sikh freedom! But surely, a little investment by any one of them in Mann had helped him to keep his office open. Who will help Mann to open his office again?

I am encouraged by my friend Gurdev Singh Gill to write the Sikh related topics. This is my first article, out of my own state of poverty and helplessness, urge the concerned Sikhs to get down to better business and just don’t give up on Mann, Sikh freedom and their investments, And lastly, Ankhila Punjab TV, soon after Mann interview, also appealed for funds to pay off the bills and so on. Freedom is never free!

Article extracted from this publication >>  September 30, 1994