Dear Editor,

I had the honor of attending W.S.O, Canada’s Annual Dinner held in Etobicoke, Toronto, Canada on September 1, 1993. With due apologies to the organizers, lam sorry to say that it was the most disappointing affair. Considering the political purpose it was supposed to service, it was almost a fiasco.

Normally it is the duty of the Organizers to enlighten and brief the Guest speakers with agenda of the meeting its aim and object of holding the congregation. In this respect I think there has been total lack of communication.

Two of the speakers, whose expositions took most of the time, were quite out of context. Mr. Broadbent outlined his achievements in the human rights field. We kept waiting for him to touch the human night atrocities committed by the Government of India in Punjab and Kashmir. But unfortunately not a word was mentioned on the situation there. The second illustrious speaker, Dr.David Sazuski, dealt entirely with the subject of environment. At the end of his discourse we caught the point. We realized that he had come there to promote his own David Sazuski Foundation.

The only person who justified his presence was Mr.Haroon Saddiqui of the Toronto Star. He elucidated how the minorities, particularly the Sikhs, were miss understood and miss interpreted. He was speaking to the point and was very professional.

But most of all I was disillusioned with the performance of Mr. Gian Singh Sandhu, and the silence of other leaders of the World Sikh Organization. His speech was quite vague and off the track.

Last one year had been very crucial to the Sikh Nation. There was no mention of and reference to:

(a) the atrocities committed by the K.P.S.Gill’s police actions and abomination of Beant Singh, and their claim that the militants have been almost entirely wiped out.

(b) how Sikh Nation has been maligned by the nefarious actions of infiltrated militants,

(c) how the farmers of the Punjab were reacting to the Beant Singh’s phobia of Satlug Yamana Link Canal, and how the farmers nonviolent agitation had forced Beant Singh to modify his stand on this issue.

(d) PLO’s commitment to abandon armed struggle, its recognition of Israel, and vice-versa.

(c) In the light of PLO discontinuing armed struggle, any shift in the policies of W.S, O. in its recognition of Sikh militants.

All these changes and issues have surfaced within last one year.

In the celebration of Martyrdom Day in Dixie Road Gurdwara in June, 1993 Mr.Chahal, past president and president elect of W.S.0., expounded on PLO’s admission that their 50 years of armed struggle had not helped them to achieve their goal, and that the PLO had joined the nonviolent peace process. Mr.Chahal said that in the wars of principles and nations (assoolan te quaman dee larrai) there was little chance of Success with the use of arms, He Was very quick and abrupt on the point and moved forward to the Gross mistakes committed by certain militants.

There have been radical phenomenons in the world politics. In the wake of such drastic impact we had expected W.S.O, would recapitulate their future strategies and come out with its new agenda in the Annual Dinner, The Dinner was promoted as the “Meeting on “Future of the Sikh Nation,”

Or is it that we are in areal limbo and cannot carve our future lines or action?

I must add that the physical aspect of the meet was admirable, and the collection of such an attentive audience was commendable, The Organizers must be congratulated for their untiring efforts. The seating lay out or the Hall was good but unfortunately the food was not warm enough and the table service offensive. Pritpal S.Bindra Mississauga, Ont., Canada.

Article extracted from this publication >>  September 24, 1993