Council of Khalistan Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Annual Convention Very Successful

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 10, 2007 – The Council of Khalistan celebrated its twentieth anniversary this past weekend with a very successful convention in the Riverside Gurdwara in the Los Angeles, California area.

The Council of Khalistan, the government pro tempore of Khalistan, leads the struggle to liberate Khalistan from India. On October 7, 1987, Khalistan declared its independence from India. The Panthic Committee formed the Council of Khalistan at that time. The Council of Khalistan has carried out the struggle to liberate Khalistan by peaceful, democratic, nonviolent means.
Delegates came from around the United States and Canada to the convention. There were many excellent speakers. Presentations lasted throughout Saturday and Sunday. Slogans of "Khalistan Zindabad" were raised.

"We are very excited at the success of our twentieth anniversary convention," said Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President of the Council of Khalistan. "It was a great experience for all of us and we made real progress in the cause of liberating Khalistan."

Dr. Aulakh cited Sardar Manmohan Singh Randhawa of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Sardar Kuldip Singh Makkar of Chicago, Sardar Hari Pal Singh Sahota of Yuba City, California, and Dr. Awatar Singh Sekhon of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for outstanding service and excellent presentations.

Sardar Randhawa agreed to take over the Council of Khalistan’s operations should anything happen to Dr. Aulakh. After that, the Advisory Committee would meet and determine the Council’s further course of action. The Advisory Committee members committed themselves to supporting the Council’s Washington office actively and to working in the local community to promote the liberation of Khalistan and to keep the local Sangat informed of the progress of the struggle to liberate Khalistan.

A report issued by the Movement Against State Repression (MASR) shows that India admitted that it held 52,268 political prisoners under the repressive "Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act" (TADA), which expired in 1995. Many have been in illegal custody since 1984. According to Amnesty International, there are tens of thousands of other minorities being held as political prisoners in India. The Indian government has murdered over 250,000 Sikhs since 1984, more than 300,000 Christians in Nagaland, over 90,000 Muslims in Kashmir, tens of thousands of Christians and Muslims throughout the country, and tens of thousands of Tamils, Assamese, Manipuris, Dalits, Bodos, and others. The Indian Supreme Court called the Indian government's murders of Sikhs "worse than a genocide."

"We would like to thank Sardar Jhalman (Jimmy) Singh and the Management Committee of the Riverside Gurdwara for making the arrangements for the convention and taking care of the guests," Dr. Aulakh said. "In addition, I would like to thank Sardar Jasbir Singh Tung and Sardarni Tung for their hospitality," he said. "And I would like to thank the leadership of the Riverside Gurdwara, especially Gurdwara President Sardar Akwinder Singh and Secretary Sardar Kuldip Singh, as well as the Sangat of the Gurdwara for hosting the convention."

The site of next year’s convention has not yet been decided, but Dr. Aulakh said it will be an interesting location where delegates and their families can sightsee and enjoy a holiday.
"This convention was a major step forward in the liberation of Khalistan," said Dr. Aulakh. "Now we must move forward from here. The Sikh Nation and the Sikh religion cannot flourish without political power. We must free Khalistan now. Khalistan Zindabad."

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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.