Following is the text of an open letter which appeared in English daily in Pakistan, The Nation.

The Sikh Case

1, on behalf of the Sikh nation, ‘would like to have an opportunity to present our Sikh case to the people of the world, the UN and Government of Pakistan in particular to consider it most favorably for moral and diplomatic assistance, in whom we repose great expectations of understanding and help for our own cause of freedom.

More than two years have passed since Beant Singh became the Chief Minister of Occupied Punjab in February 1992. The government has devoted all its resources Over the last three years to suppress the Sikh struggle for liberation, By a Machiavellian combination of savage repression and deceitful propaganda, the government has succeeded in demoralizing the movement to Some extent, The responsibility for the present state of demoralization, no doubt, resist with the Organizations and the political leaders of the Sikh nation who have been unable to develop an Infrastructure al the grassroots to engage the people in a constant debate on their ideology, goals and strategic, The government had kept up an aggressive propaganda claiming the successes of its“ anti-militant operations.” Unfortunately, the Sikh militants Organizations had not prepared themselves to face these onslaughts. The absence of clarity and an open debate on these important issues has helped the enemies of the Sikh liberation movement to project it as a militant movement.

My statement on the background, aims, objectives and goals of the Sikh struggle is a step in the direct on of generating a free exchange of ideas. We, therefore, invite all variety of sympathizers, also our critics, to respond to our state. Ments. Our initiative is also a challenge to those who denigrate our movement as lacking in intrinsic ment; WE also hope that our Struggle becomes the catalyst of a revolutionary process to liberate all the suppressed peoples of the Subcontinent from the tyranny of Indian colonialism.

‘The Sikh struggle against the Indian state is motivated by a vision of society which has become unattainable, Our experience under the tyranny of Hindu India over the last 45 years has demonstrated this, It has been waged for over four and a half decades on almost every issue which pertains to our culture, identity, religion, language, and he inalienable rights of our people in the economic and political spheres, through peaceful and democratic methods. Hindu India tried to ride roughshod over our democratic mobilization by calling our rights and demands parochial, we were accused of mobilizing the people from our religious pulpits. By provoking communal reactions against us in other sections of the people, the Central Government of India and its protagonists built up a popular mandate for their policy of repression.

‘The phase of the Sikh struggle to which Sant Jamail Singh attached himself in August 1982, and which the Government of India tried to crush by mobilizing its Amy in June, 1984 was democratic in every sense of the word, and was Camped out with the active participation of thousands of common Sikhs. The most cowardly and inhuman activity of repression was Repeated across the Punjab in cold blood by the Indian military operation which launched the *Indo Khalsa War’ that is Still being waged today, 10 years after the event, ‘The Sikh nation retaliated against the aggression of India in self-defense through self-help as came to the attention of the whole world by the outcry of the international media in June 1984. The Sikh nation has invoked its sovereign and national political rights with the declaration of its independence from the colonialist Republic of India. We would be compelled to defend our rights and temitory, our people and vital interests and to decide recourse to extend to the use of force in further self-defense activity and the removal of the occupation forces of the Republic of India from our lands and tern tones. The Sikh nation earnestly requests the UN, the White House, and Government of Pakistan to look into the ongoing ‘Indo Khalsa War’ and to condemn the brutal Actions of the Republic of Indi: Mehal Singh, Foreign Security Babbar Khalsa International,

Birmingham, UK, August 13.

Article extracted from this publication >>  September 2, 1994