By Irvinderpal Singh Babra /Sikh Press

TORONTO: The Tenth annual banquet of World Sikh News was held in Toronto and Dr. Gurinder Singh Grewal, the WSN editor and publisher said, “Over $2.5 million has been spent in this newspaper undertaking which will continue to highlight the concerns of all Sikhs and challenge the Indian government’s position in North America. WSN provides checks and balances and we have been able to expose many wrongdoings of the Indian agents, including Dr, Karan Singh, and the former India ambassador to the USA, who was a very cunning man. Sikhs were more hated by him than admired throughout his stay in Washington.”

Grewal also produced an Indian government letter confirming 48000 British pounds paid to Mark Tully, a well-known BBC reporter in India, together with a long list of agents, including Sikhs, who received cash from the Indian government in the last decade, He also. Defined NEWS which is from North, East, West and South and gave a history of newspapers, starting from 1450 BC in Egypt on clay to the World Sikh News in 1984.

Grewal said, “Print news and raise hell and World Sikh News will publish all the factual and Sikh oriented stories. The press. In India, as their former foreign minister Krishna Menon had said a hotchpotch of rumor, prejudice and corruption’” and there is the denying about it.

We at WSN are under many threats, abuses, lawsuits and insult, largely from the Indian agents, but will brave and continue publishing WSN.” It’s not keened by me or any individual or any Sikh Group, Grewal confirmed, but to a registered corporation in California, In Canada, it AS in the hands of Gurdey Singh ‘Gill, Baljit Singh (Lali) Bajwa and many other friends who are doing an excellent job.

Nearly 200 guests attended the WSN Annual Fund Raising Dinner at the Sweet Palace Banquet Hall in Malton on December 12, 1994, Gurcharan Singh, a prolific Punjabi writer and reporter of the World Sikh News, Sanja Saver a, was the masjev of, ceremonies. Those who spoke included Ripsodak Singh Grewal, president of Ontario Gurdwaras Committee, Sukhminder Singh Hansra of Ankhila Punjab Radio & TV and president of Sikh Media Association, Dr. Gurinder Singh Grewal (keynote address), Derek Lee, and MP. and chairman of standing committee on Canada’s internal security, Colleen Beaumier, MP and contributing writer to World Sikh News (who recently confessed in the parliament that she was raped ‘some 20 years ago and is now the most talked about MP in Canada for her courage in narrating the ordeal), Dara Singh Varraich, a wealthy Realtor and Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Party candidate in the next provincial elections, Bikar Singh Sodhi of Gursikh Sangat, Hamilton, Harbhajan Singh Pandoni, president of Ontario Khalsa Darbar and Sukhminder Singh Chattha of Rexdale Sn Guru Singh Sabha. Hansra condemned the Indian government’s continued interference against the transmission of his programs and their strong anti-Sikh mentality. He said that many Hindus had gone to Vision TV to complain against Ankhila Punjab TV’s viewing across Canada recently, “Our advertisers are under deeper pressure and probe and were warned not to give any advertising support to us, Khalsa Credit Union of Vancouver and many other advertisers have stopped advertising with us for these reasons and we are forced to cut time now, It’s time the concerned Sikhs must rise and sup: port our Khalistan value system.

There is no doubt that the concerned Sikhs in North America, who are well over 300000 and have built over 200 Gurdwaras and multiple Sikh organizations and councils of all shades pay no attention to media of Sikhs, The first and second types, which are either pro or anti India, Punjab and Khalistan programs make ripples but suffer financially, The third type include moderate, progressive and balanced Sikh newspapers, TV and radio programs,, who are also in a Sad state of affairs. The fourth type is the recent arrivals from India, who enter Canada. USA and UK illegally and set up their media ventures faster than all of them, Just Great!

Such were the concerns of Sikhs raised at the World Sikh News banquet in Toronto.

Article extracted from this publication >>  December 16, 1994