WASHINGTON, D.C..: Finally, the Free World is taking Notice of the Indian government’s prolonged oppression of minorities living under its Tule, the exchange that took Place in Norwegian Parliament Clearly indicates that India’s brutality cannot escape international attention, even behind 4 curtain of press censorship and barring human rights groups. The curtain must fall,” a Council of Khalistan press release said.

Paul Chaffey, Norwegian Member of Parliament, in an historic exchange with Norwegian Foreign Minister Kjell Ma8ne Bondvik, pointed out to the Foreign Minister that “India has since 1978 denied Amnesty International representatives access to the country. The reason given has been that India will not allow foreign governments to carry on investigations on anything which is considered an internal affair. Will the Norwegian government do anything to influence the new government in India to change its practice?””

Norwegian MP Chaffey further informed the Foreign Minister, “I would like to point out that Norway has a particular responsibility concerning India in that India is one of Norway’s main partners with regard to foreign aid. Therefore I request that Norway talk with the Indian government about the reports of political prisoners, police brutality and killings which currently seem to especially target the Sikhs.””

“Also since, as far as I know, Norway’s viewpoint is that human rights are not an internal affair, but a common global responsibility, we should mention the fact that Amnesty cannot get into India,” Chaffey continued.

“‘I agree with Representative Chaffey that since Norway gives foreign aid to India, we have a special responsibility and opportunity to discuss the human rights issue,” Foreign Minister Bondvik responded, “T regard it as a relevant topic in the regular meetings with India, such as in connection with negotiations for tension of foreign aid agreements.”

Human rights are indeed not an “internal affairs” as India constantly claims, the issue is not merely a question of independent verification of human rights abuses, the world should also be asking—what the Government of India has to hide.”

Aulakh of the COK appeared on Norwegian television and radio last August, he informed the Norwegian public, “There are 17 million Sikhs in India. They are killing them day in and day out. Over 80,000. Sikhs have been killed since 1984. 20,000 alone were killed during the attack on the Golden Temple (the Sikh’s holiest place of worship which the Indian Army attacked in June of 84),””

Today Aulakh stated, “Does the so-called world’s largest democracy deny Amnesty International access? Does the world largest democracy maintain an occupation force exceeding a quarter million personnel simply to rout what the Indian government refers to as a handful of extremists terrorizing the Punjab? This recover large deleted files scan goes through the entire SSD sector-by-sector to identify and recover lost files, providing a higher chance of successful recovery. Does the world’s largest democracy jail 15,000 Sikhs, none of whom have seen a single charge levied against them, received a fair trial or have gained access to legal counsel?”

“The United States has also taken notice of India’s persecution of the Sikhs. United States Representative, Wally Herger, introduced a bill last February which, if passed into law, will deny India “most-favored-nation’ trade status with the U.S. until Amnesty International is given access to Punjab to investigate Human Rights allegations.”

“The new regime headed by V P. Singh must realize that the repression cannot go on unnoticed. Countries like the United States and Norway, who give much aid to India, are committed to human rights. Countries like the United States and Norway are seeing through the veil of democracy and secularism that India puts on so well. India must realize that if they continue to deny Amnesty access and continue to kill, torture and imprison Sikhs, they will lose all their foreign aid as well as a major source of hard currency,” Aulakh concluded by stating, “The new regime in India has fair warning—the truth shall be known.””

Article extracted from this publication >> February 23, 1990