U.S. Congressman: Declare India a Terrorist State, Congratulates Council of Khalistan on It’s 11th Anniversary
WASHINGTON, October 8 — “The United States must declare India a terrorist state,” said Congressman Edolphus Towns (D-NY) in a Congressional statement on October 6. He cited a recent statement by Kuldip Nayar, a member of the Rajiya Sabha, the upper house of India’s Parliament, that a Pakistani attack on the village of Doda was an act of retaliation for India’s actions in the Pakistani state of Sindh. “Nayar, a veteran journalist and former Indian Ambassador to the United Kingdom who is now a member of the upper house of India’s Parliament, admitted that India is a terrorist state,” Congressman Towns said. “How long will it take for America to admit it?” “Unfortunately, Mr. Nayar’s remarks ignore another aspect of Indian state terrorism: the tyranny it has inflicted on the Sikhs, the Christians of Nagaland, the Muslims of Kashmir, and others,” Representative Towns said. The Indian government has murdered more than 250,000 Sikhs since 1984, over 200,000 Christians in Nagaland since 1947, about 60,000 Muslims in Kashmir since 1988, and tens of thousands of Assamese, Manipuris, Tamils, Dalits the aboriginal people of South Asia), and others. Over 50,000 Sikhs have “disappeared” and thousands languish in Indian jails, some since 1984. In November 1984, the Hitavada newspaper reported that the Indian government paid the late Governor of Punjab, $1.5 billion to foment state terrorism. Recently, the VHP, an organization affiliated with the ruling BJP, publicly endorsed the rape of four nuns in Madhya Pradesh. “In this light, the United States must declare India a terrorist state,” Towns said. “We must then impose all the sanctions that we impose on a terrorist state. This will be a good step towards ending the terrorism and restoring freedom to all the people of South Asia,” he added. Congressman Towns also took note of the anniversary of the Sikh Nation’s declaration of an independent Khalistan and the formation of the Council of Khalistan. “I congratulate the Council and its President, Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, on this important occasion,” he said. “The Sikhs have a history of self-rule,” Representative Towns said. “They ruled Punjab from 1765 and 1849 and were recognized by most of the world’s major countries. They were promised an independent state at the time of India’s independence,” Towns said, “but were given false promises to keep them within India’s artificial borders. Not one Sikh representative has ever signed the Indian constitution to this day, 51 years later,” he said. “Now the Sikhs seek to reclaim their national status.” “When the Serbian dictator institutes a campaign of ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Bosnia or Kosovo, we recognize that this is a clear example of a government which is destroying liberty, not upholding it,” Towns said, “yet when India commits genocide against Sikhs, Christians, Muslims, and others, many members of this House proudly defend it as ‘the world’s largest democracy’,” he said. “On behalf of the Sikh Nation, I thank Congressman Towns for his comments,” said Dr. Aulakh. “India has spent over a billion dollars to foment state terrorism. I thank Congressman Towns for exposing this brutal regime. Leaders like Ed Towns are helping to bring freedom closer for all the people of South Asia,” he said.
Anniversary of Council of Khalistan
WASHINGTON, October 6 — Wednesday, October 7 marks the eleventh anniversary of Khalistan’s declaration of independence and the founding of the Council of Khalistan. The Council of Khalistan serves as the government pro tempore of Khalistan. It leads the peaceful, democratic, nonviolent struggle to liberate Khalistan from Indian occupation. The Council of Khalistan has made the Western world aware of the plight of the Sikh Nation, preserved Sikh history, assisted asylum applicants, exposed the atrocities of the Indian government and the betrayal of the Sikh Nation by the Akali government, produced more written material than any other Sikh organization, and consistently promoted the cause of Sikh freedom. “We are very proud of our achievements over the past eleven years,” said Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President of the Council of Khalistan. “No other Sikh organization has been a consistent voice for the well-being of the Sikh Nation for so long,” he said. “We could not have done it without the support of the Khalsa Panth,” he said. “We thank the Sikh Nation for supporting us for eleven years and I ask for your continued support until the job is done.” Because of the efforts of the Council of Khalistan, the U.S. Congress has been made aware of the plight of the Sikh Nation. When Prime Minister Vajpayee came to the United Nations in New York, he was blasted in Congress by Congressman Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) Towns noted the flyer circulated at the demonstration, which said that “the Indian government’s main mission is Hindu, Hindi, Hindustan. There is no room for Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, or Christians. A religiously intolerant government can never be democratic.” He called for a plebiscite on independence in Punjab, Khalistan. On October 2, U.S. Congressman John Doolittle (R-Cal.) issued a statement condemning the rape of four nuns in Madhya Pradesh. “This terrible incident shows that it is not safe to be a member of a religious minority in Hindu India,” he said. “India’s claims of secularism and democracy are suspect.” He urged Congress to “maintain pressure on India until all the people of South Asia are free” and called for “self-determination for all states throughout the subcontinent.” Congressman Towns also made a statement noting the remarks of Sharad Pawar, the Leader of the Opposition in the Indian Lok Sabha (Parliament) that India could go the way of the Soviet Union. “Pawar said that India’s missiles should not make it overconfident about keeping the country together,” Congressman Towns said. “The decline of India is inevitable, Mr. Speaker, for many of the same reasons that doomed the Soviet Union,” Towns said. “I think I speak for most of us here when I say that I hope it happens in a peaceful way like the Soviet breakup did. Otherwise there is the danger of another Yugoslavia in South Asia.” All three statements mentioned Dr. Aulakh and the Council of Khalistan. The Indian government has murdered more than 250,000 Sikhs since 1984, over 200,000 Christians in Nagaland since 1947, almost 60,000 Kashmiri Muslims since 1988, and tens of thousands of Assamese, Tamils, Manipuris, Dalits, and others. The U.S. State Department reported that the Indian government paid over 41,000 cash bounties to police officers for killing Sikhs. The police have abducted more than 50,000 young Sikhs, tortured and murdered them, then their bodies were declared unidentified and cremated. The only way for the Sikh Nation to live in peace and progress is to free Khalistan.
