HALWARA: The Akali Dal (Mann) president Simranjit Singh Mann on Thursday made eight suggestions to Prime Minister Singh for bringing about an atmosphere conducive to a meaningful dialogue to solve the Punjab problem, PTI reports

The suggestions included release of the killers of the former chief of Army staff, Gen. AS. Vaidya.

Mann presented the memorandum listing the suggestions to Singh at the Halwara airbase before the prime minister flew back to Delhi after the Ludhiana rally.

Mann requested the Prime Minister that the “representative administrative machinery” be immediately dismantled.

“It is our information that it is working overtime to complicate the Punjab problems beyond solution” Mann said.

The Akali leader who did not attend the all-party rally at Ludhiana said that “all black and oppressive laws and regulations” should be repealed.

Mann also wanted immediate end to “fake “police encounters and release of all Sikhs in prison on up charges throughout gee including those in Jodhpur, Ajmer, Pune and Tihar jails

The Akali Dal leader who was himself released after five years in jail said that all army personnel ‘who had;

“Protested” against the “attack on Darbar Sahib” complex should be released and properly rehabilitated.

Mann, who is yet to take his oath as member of the lower house of the Parliament, said that proper punishment should be meted out to those who were responsible for the massacre of Sikhs in October November 1984 throughout the country and in Bidar, Jammu and Haryana in 1988-89.

Demanding a recall of the Para military forces from Punjab, Mann also wanted a list of those “killed” in Amritsar during the “attack on Golden Temple at Amritsar and information on how the bodies were disposed of.

Mann described V.P. Singh’s visit to Punjab as “lovely and nice” which has “gladdened our hearts.” He was replying to a question by reporters at the Halwara air force base where he had come to see off Mr. V.P. Singh.

Asked whether he would attend the next all party meeting on Punjab, he said he would not attend it if the “genocidal Congress party is also invited”.

Article extracted from this publication >> January 19, 1990