INTERVIEW B Safi Safdar
I was immensely touched when I listened to Dr..G.S. Greval, a Sikh visitor to his shrines in Pakistan as he spoke about the sufferings of the Sikh youth at the hands of the Indian police. A very successful cardiologist in California and associated with the Khalistan Movement, Dr. Greval talked in a choked voice when he said, “I am thirty-five, and leading a happy life. I have nothing to aspire for. All ambitions seem to have ceased rising in my heart, except one: I wish to see Khalistan on the map of the world before I die.”
Question: What was the point when things became irreparable between the Sikh community and the Indian Government?
Answer: Though the trouble had started earlier between the Sikh community and the Indian Government during which we were subjected to harsh treatment by the Indian Government and we were reconciled to our position as Indians, the turning point, however, came when the Darbar Sahib was attacked. The Sikh community realized that they had absolutely no respect and security. In fact the bad relationship has reached a point of no return and the Sikhs have been forced to devise ways to ensure their honor and safety.
Q: Do you believe that it is a point of no return?
A: Yes, it is because when your sacred place is attacked, the way Darbar Sahib was at-tacked, then nothing is left to believe that your honor and respect and security are considered at all.
Q: You are in touch with people at home. What kind of suppression is being exercised against the Sikhs in India? A: According to our information the Indi-an Government, especially the CRP and Punjab Police, are being used to torture our youth. Whenever they arrest Sikh youth even on minor charges or suspicion, they torture them and kill them on fake charges. We have lately heard that they have cut the both hands in certain cases to make them ineffective. A lot of terrorism is going on against the Sikh community in India and we see no end to it. The main target is the Sikh youth.
Q: You are confronting a country (India) which claims to be a regional Superpower, how far do you see chances of success? A: Historically, even in this century, you can see that wherever people have the will to survive their will has proved stronger than any Superpower. And our struggle is for survival too. We were the ones to make India powerful and with the same willpower we can make ourselves powerful. That is the positive thing we have at our command in con-fronting our opponents because it is the struggle for survival which is always stronger than the struggle to subjugate.
Q: The Indian Press is said to be an independent and free Press in the world. What is your opinion about it, especially keeping in view the reporting about the minorities in India?
A: I do not think that there is anything as free Press in India, especially in East Pun-jab. No journalist is allowed to visit East Punjab. When Arjan Singh became the Governor of Punjab, he called the Pressmen and told them that they were to report what he considered fit and what the Government approved, otherwise they would not get any advertisement. Outside Punjab, you saw what happened to the Indian Express which was locked because it exposed the corruption of Rajiv Gandhi and his Government. The television and radio are officially con-trolled. It is not true to say that the Indian media are free. The non-government point of view is not allowed to appear in the Press. It is really unfortunate that they are presenting Sikhs as terrorists and poisoning the minds of people. They want a total alienation of the Sikh community. A delegation of the American Congressmen wanted to visit Punjab to see for themselves the situation. They were refused entry. I want to ask them (the Indian Government) if there is nothing bad there, why don’t they allow the foreign Press to visit and see for themselves what is happening there. Visas are given to those who do not appear on their record as representing the Khalistan Movement and that too only for a few districts. From these instances you can very well imagine how free the Indian Press is?
Q: Your movement is very active in the United States. Do you intend to expand the volume of your activity in other countries as well?
A: In fact, we are trying to present our case before the world and we are only expressing our point of view. It is not restricted to the United States alone but due to our meagre resources, our activity has been really restricted in its volume. You can say we are more active in the United States, En-gland and some other countries, wherever we have people of our community. Q: The Indian Government gives the impression that your movement is financed by certain countries, how far it is true?
A: I can only wish if it were true. We are not financed or helped by any country. We are fighting our own battle and shall continue to do so. I do hope that the facts is III come to light and the world opinion will come to appreciate our stand more realistically.
- there any unity among different Sikh organimtions which are fighting for the same cause?
A: Yes, we do have different organisations and I am happy to say that we have a united fund for the achievement of our objectives amongst all these groups in the world. We do not have unity in the name of our community. The main wing of our Sikh organisation is the Five-Member Committee which is called Punthic Community. All the Sikh organisations are behind this Committee regarding it as the main leadership, I see the different organisations only as different reginientations fighting to achieve the same goal. The unity amongst the freedom fighters in Punjab and outside India is beyond any doubt_ There is no divisions amongst the Sikh nation. Whatever divisions are indicated in the Press are the concocted stories of the Indian Government. if there had been a free Press in India. different kind of sources would have come to light.
Q: How far 1.014 hate, succeeded in mobilizing the world opinion?
A: At present, I do not think that a very favorable opinion has been evolved but we have been trying to explain our position to the world winning more friends with the passage of time. I am sure given the time we shall be able to win over the world in our favour. We have been able to expose the Indian government’s dual policy at home and abroad. We have been able to show to the free world the way the Indian Government uses a fork tongue. I must say that the Indian Government is not non-aligned. They are very much aligned to Russia and the West has also noted this.
Q: You are associated with a journalistic venture in the form of Sikh News, how do you put up your case?
A: I am not a journalist. I am a physician by profession. Having felt the need for an organ to be able to explain the Sikh viewpoint we started this newspaper. We have other journalists who are coordinating their efforts to bring out this newspaper from California. I also keep contributing from time to time.
Q: What impact the Sikh News has made so far?
A: It is a paper in the making and has not achieved yet a circulation which we want it to achieve. It is slowly establishing itself and there has been a lot of propaganda against this paper by the Indian Government. But as people read it they come to know about the purpose behind this publication and we are really winning more friends by pulling across to the world the Sikh viewpoint. The Indian Government has also alleged that this paper is being supported by other countries. It is not true. This is mainly our own effort brought out to ex plain to the world the truth about the Sikh struggle.
Q: How do the foreign newspapers obtain their material about Sikhs?
Not unexpectedly the release of the embargoed pages of the Maulana Azad memoirs was postponed indefinitely following a stay order by the District and Sessions Judge of New Delhi, restraining the National Archives and Orient Longmans from opening the sealed cover, deposited with the Archives by the Maulana’s secretary. Prof: humayun Kabir, who had composed the ‘autobiography’ narrated to him by the Maulana.
A: Since they are not allowed to visit Punjab they publish whatever material is provided to them by the Indian Government. Since they do not know the facts they cannot write favourably. We only wish they could visit India and form their own opinion. We cannot provide them with the facts since we are not in a position to get the stories regarding day-to-day developments in India against the Sikh community?
Q: What are your future plans regarding the projection of your problems?
A: We are having one way open to us and that is to manage the news from Punjab through our own sources and supply them to the world Press. We are doing so on a small scale presently and we do plan to improve it.
Q: During your visit to Pakistan you visited the Sikh shrines. What is your opinion about the maintenance of these shrines by the Government of Pakistan?
A: We had a chance to visit Gurdwara Dera Sahib, Nankana Sahib and Punjab Sahib. We found the conditions satisfactory though there always remains a room for improvement. The regard that these shrines deserved has been well extended. I am personally satisfied with the present situation regarding the maintenance. Some of these Gurdwaras, 1 found in better condition than the mosques in India before I left India.
Socrates — last words
`Wherefore, O judges, be of good cheer about death and know of a certainty that no evil can happen to a good man either ire life or after death… I am not angry with my condemners or with my accusers, They have done me no harm, alt they did not mean to do me any good and for this may gently blame them.
Still I have a favour to ask of them. When my sons are grown up I would ask you for my friends, to punish them and I would have you trouble them, as I have troubled you of they seem to care about riches or anything more than about virtue, or if they pretend to be something when they are really nothing, then reprove them as I have reproved you for nor caring about that for which they ought to care and thinking that they are something when they are really nothing. And if you do this, both I and my sons will have received justice at your hands.
The hour of departure has arrived, go our ways — I to die and you to live —which is better God only knows’_
(Contributed by R.P).
