Sir,

Much has been gained and much has been lost by our Sikh community since the new wave of freedom struggle started after the 1984 attack by the Indian government which desecrated the most sacred of our Sikh shrine Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple).

The loss of a whole generation of young Sikh martyrs (perhaps up to 100,000 by now) is no means small and yet the future for Punjab does not appear to be any better today than it was in 1984.

The center has a by & large succeeded in pitting the Sikhs in the police & the army against our own fellow freedom fighting brothers. While the Sikhs are dying in Punjab our enemy is rejoicing in Delhi by watching the Sikhs kill Sikhs and they are still using the Sikhs as cannon fodder in Punjab.

Indian Prime Minister Chander Shekhar’s attempt to heal the wounds of the Sikhs by talking to Sardar Simranjit Singh Mann is only adding insult to injury. These secret talks won’t result in freedom or peace in Punjab, it is a way to buy time for the Prime Minister in office and we all know that.

Khalistan is not coming on a silver platter from Delhi’s generous rulers no matter which Prime Minister is in office. In the last 43 years since the Sikhs lost half their Punjab to Pakistan, Delhi does not even give due status to our mother tongue Punjabi in Punjab or in Delhi forget industrialization or other rights.

For the coming decade, the Sikh community should realize that our resources both monetary and people are very limited and we should put both to use very wisely for the liberation struggle otherwise I would shudder to think the price we will have to pay for our dear Khalistan when there will be no young Sikh left.

It is also imperative that our Gurdwaras should start preaching large families once again to recover from our losses. Incentives should be given to newlywed Sikh couples to have five or more children or discourage family planning all together. Let one child become a doctor, the second a scientist, the third a lawyer, the fourth a trader, and the fifth a Gurbani preacher and the sixth join the armed forces and the seventh work in the world of arts, entertainment and media.

Harbir Singh Box 58 Mahwah, N.J. 07430

Article extracted from this publication >> February 15, 1991