March 21, 2006

VAISAKHI MESSAGE TO THE KHALSA PANTH
Sikhs Will Celebrate Vaisakhi Day April 14
Must Remind Ourselves by Raising Slogans of Khalistan Zindabad
Political Power Essential to Survival of Sikh Nation
Freedom Lies in the Heart of the Sikh Nation; No Force Can Suppress It

Dear Khalsa Ji:

WAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA, WAHEGURU JI KI FATEH!

Happy Vaisakhi Day to you and your family and the Khalsa Panth. On April 14, the Sikh Nation will be observing the 307th anniversary of the day Guru Gobind Singh established the Khalsa Panth. The Guru granted sovereignty to the Sikh Nation, saying “In Grieb Sikhin Ko Deon Patshahi.” We must remind ourselves of our heritage by raising slogans of “Khalistan Zindabad” and beginning a Shantmai Morcha to liberate our homeland, Khalistan. Whoever is honest and dedicated in leading that Shantmai Morcha deserves our support. Every morning and evening we recite, “Raj Kare Ga Khalsa.” Now is the time to act on it. Do we mean what we say every morning and evening?

The flame of freedom continues to burn brightly in the heart of the Sikh Nation. No force can suppress it. Within the past few days, Dal Khalsa and the Shiromani Khalsa Dal announced that they are uniting for sovereignty for Khalistan. This was met with chants of “Khalistan Zindabad.” Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, whose own Legislative Assembly proclaimed the sovereignty of Punjab when he cancelled the water agreements, has ordered the leaders of Dal Khalsa and the Shiromani Khalsa Dal placed under police watch for their speeches. Kanwarpal Singh Dhami of the Guru Asra Trust, and Dr. Jagjit Singh Chohan were arrested this month for making speeches in support of Khalistan. Dr. Chohan said, “Khalistan will be free.” In January of last year and again in June of last year Sikh activists, mostly from Dal Khalsa, were arrested merely for raising the Khalistani flag and making pro-Khalistan speeches. During his recent visit to India, President George W. Bush walked over to Sukhbir Singh Badal and said, “Give my best wishes and regards to your people from the people of America.” Even the President of the United States is aware of our situation. “I wish you could visit Punjab,” said Sukhbir Singh. When Khalistan is free, that will happen. President Bush has said, “Freedom is the birthright of every man, woman, and child.” These events show that the movement to free our homeland is on the rise. It has gotten the attention of the world. The movement to liberate our homeland is stronger than it has ever been and it has frightened the Indian regime. Now is the time to rededicate ourselves to the liberation of Khalistan.

The Indian government is reacting to the rising tide of freedom for the Sikh Nation. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh apologized to the Sikh Nation for the Delhi massacres of November 1984 that killed over 20,000 Sikhs. It is good that he apologized and it clearly shows India’s responsibility, but what good does it do the Sikh Nation? Where are the apologies for the Golden Temple attack and the other atrocities? Where is the compensation for the victims’ families?

In January, Sikh farmers were expelled from Uttaranchal Pradesh and their land was seized. They were beaten up by the police. Their homes were bulldozed by paratroopers. Their homes in many cases were built using their life savings and by their own hands. We condemn this act of state terrorism by the government of Uttaranchal Pradesh. As you know, Sikhs are prohibited from buying land in Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. Now Uttaranchal Pradesh joins that list. Yet there are no restrictions on land ownership in Punjab by non-Sikhs. People from anywhere can buy land in Punjab, including people from Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. India is trying to subvert Khalistan’s independence by overrunning Punjab with non-Sikhs while keeping Sikhs from escaping the brutal repression in Punjab. It is incumbent on the Sikh diaspora to free Khalistan. We must redouble our efforts. That is the only way to keep these atrocities from continuing and to protect the Sikh Nation and the Sikh religion.

Any organization that sincerely supports Khalistan deserves the support of the Sikh Nation. However, the Sikh Nation needs leadership that is honest, sincere, consistent, and dedicated to the cause of Sikh freedom. But we should only support sincere, dedicated, honest leaders. Dal Khalsa deserves the praise of the Sikh nation and I call on every Sikh to support them and every other organization that is working to liberate Khalistan.

The Council of Khalistan has stood strongly and consistently for liberating our homeland, Khalistan, from Indian occupation. For over 18 years we have led this fight while others were trying to divert the resources and the attention of the Sikh Nation away from the issue of freedom in a sovereign, independent Khalistan. Yet Khalistan is the only way that Sikhs will be able to live in freedom, peace, prosperity, and dignity.

The Sikhs in Punjab have suffered enormous repression at the hands of the Indian regime in the last 22 years. The Indian government has murdered over 250,000 Sikhs since 1984. Inderjit Singh Jaijee and Bibi Baljit Kaur of the Movement Against State Repression (MASR) told me that if the Sikhs outside India had not exposed the atrocities of the Indan regime, they could have killed ten times as many Sikhs. Another 52,268 of our brother and sisters are being held as political prisoners, according to MASR. Some have been in illegal custody since 1984! Over 50,000 Sikh youth were picked up from their houses, tortured, murdered in police custody, then secretly cremated as “unidentified bodies.” Their remains were never even given to their families! How can Sikhs have any freedom living under a government that would do these things? India should be ashamed of the genocide it has committed against Sikhs, Christians, Muslims, and other minorities.

Sikhs can never forgive or forget the Indian government’s military attack on the Golden Temple and 39 other historic Gurdwaras throughout Punjab. Over 20,000 Sikhs were murdered in those attacks, known as Operation Bluestar, including Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, General Shabeg Singh, Bhai Amrik Singh, and over 100 Sikh religious students ages 8-13 who were taken out into the courtyard and shot. These attacks accelerated the Sikh independence movement and deepened the desire for independence in the hearts of Sikhs, a fire that burns brightly in the hearts of the Sikh Nation to this day.

The Akali Dal conspired with the Indian government in 1984 to invade the Golden Temple to murder Sant Bhindranwale and 20,000 other Sikhs during June 1984 in Punjab. Among those who conspired with the government, according to Chakravyuh: Web of Indian Secularism, were Dr. Chohan, Ganga Singh Dhillon, and Didar Singh Bains It appears the Indian regime is even willing to arrest its own agents to suppress the movement for Khalistan! Now Badal and Chief Minister Amarinder Singh have been accusing each other of being tied in with “terrorists.” These leaders view support for Khalistan as terrorism, as the Indian government does. They have shown where their loyalties lie. How will these so-called Sikh leaders account for themselves? Remember the words of former Jathedar of the Akal Takht Professor Darshan Singh: “If a Sikh is not a Khalistani, he is not a Sikh.” It seems that Badal and Amarinder are not Sikhs.

Never forget that the Akal Takht Sahib and Darbar Sahib and the present Akali and Congress leadership are under the control of the Indian government, the same Indian government that has murdered over a quarter of a million Sikhs in the past twenty years. These institutions will remain under the control of the Indian regime until we free the Sikh homeland, Punjab, Khalistan, from Indian occupation and oppression and sever our relations with the New Delhi government.

Sikhs will never get any justice from Delhi. Ever since independence, India has mistreated the Sikh Nation, starting with Patel’s memo calling Sikhs “a criminal tribe.” What a shame for Home Minister Patel and the Indian government to issue this memorandum when the Sikh Nation gave over 80 percent of the sacrifices to free India.

There is no place for Sikhs in supposedly secular, supposedly democratic India. Our moment of freedom is closer than ever. Let us work to make certain that we shake ourselves loose from the yoke of Indian oppression and liberate our homeland, Khalistan, so that all Sikhs may live lives of prosperity, freedom, and dignity.

Sincerely,

Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh
President
Council of Khalistan

This material is circulated by the Council of Khalistan, which is registered with the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington, DC under the Foreign Agents Registration Act as an agent of the Council of Khalistan, Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjab. The material is filed with the DOJ where the required registration is available for inspection. Registration does not indicate approval of the contents by the U.S. Government.