Why Sikhs shouldn't celebrate Indian Independence Day

[aksingh]

hey Anand you are right it exists only in Canada and UK as those people shifted there around 100 years ago, then again during partition and again during 1984.. They seldom visit India and their idea of India is rooted in the history.I mean all the painful partitions of the British, the partition and the terrorism in Punjab so they feel it still exists. Leave them aside... Khalistan ain't happening anytime soon though...Cheers:

 

[alamgir]

Sikhs Deserve Freedom
Wednesday 24th of January 2007
Amrit Kaur Khalsa

July 4th. Independence Day. A day I celebrate with family, friends, and fireworks. A day I celebrate America's freedom, my good fortune of living here and being a Sikh-American. August 15 th. India's Independence Day. A day I protest. A day where I wear black and denounce India's freedom. India's Independence came on August 15, 1947 when India and Pakistan parted and became secular countries on their own. Sikhs were given East Punjab, a small state in northern India; the west part of Punjab having been truncated in the partition to give to Pakistan. Sikhs felt that their religion, history, and identity would best flourish in the secular country that was now their home. But these high hopes did not last long. Little by little, India betrayed the Sikhs and threatened their existence.

Keeping tight reins over Punjab, government of India (whichever party that has control) suppressed the Sikhs in several ways. Starting with the freedom of religion. Subclause B of clause 2, Explanation II in Article 25 in the Constitution of India, states that "persons professing the Sikh, Jaina or Buddhist religion(s)" are Hindus. To India, Sikhism is a sect of Hinduism however; Sikhism is a distinct, monotheistic religion as stated by the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev ji. Sikhs are noticeable because of their turbans or long uncut hair. With over 22 million Sikhs world wide and majority in India, how can Sikhism be labled as a sect of Hinduism? By purposely not recognizing Sikhism as a unique religion, the foundation of Sikh oppression was laid.

Continuing on that note, the Indian government passed acts that were aimed directly at impeding the Sikhs' progression. Acts such as the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955, which does not recognize the Sikh wedding ceremony as a valid form of marriage and the Punjab Reorganization Act of 1966, which split Punjab into parts giving the strategic areas to other states and give control of river waters to the central government who stripped Sikhs of their water rights.

Then came 1984. Operation Bluestar, a government planned attack on the heart of the Sikhs, the Harmandir Sahib -- also known as the Golden Temple. From June 1st to June 6th, Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India at the time, ordered the Indian army to invade and destroy the Harmandir Sahib all under the pretext that there was terrorists living in the complex-- of which there were none. Hundreds of Sikhs were killed in merciless bloodshed. Punjab was sealed off from the rest of the world with no communication. But it didn't end here.

After the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh body guards, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh, on October 31, 1984, all hell broke loose for the Sikhs. For the next 3 days, November 1st , 2nd, and 3rd of 1984, over 4,000 Sikhs roasted alive in anti-Sikh pogroms in the capital of the world's largest democracy. Sikh homes, businesses, temples were burned to the ground and completely destroyed.

When this history was unveiled to me, I knew that the Sikhs in India were not free and that the Indian government had tried very hard to eradicate the Sikhs. The Sikh nation would always be under the claws of the Indian government if something were not done. My family has always been in support of the making of an independent Sikh country called Khalistan and now I have a precise understanding why. It surprises me of how little the Sikh community in the Bay Area supports the independence of the Sikhs.

Despite having knowledge of 1984 and the surreptitious attacks of cultural genocide the government of India still makes on the Sikh nation, Sikhs fail to see that having an independent country would greatly benefit us. Despite all the programs held in remembrance of 1984 and significance of Khalistan, many ignore the information and the work put in by those who care. It seems as if the community enjoys being suppressed by the Indian government. The Sikh community should take advantage of the rights and freedoms given here to help those who can't help themselves. If the Indian government will not secure justice for the victims of 1984,then who will? I greatly admire those Sikhs who are in support of Khalistan, who honor the freedoms of America by taking out their time, money and energy to recognize the victims and martyrs of 1984, who fight against injustice, and who travel all over the world to document untold stories of the helpless victims/survivors of 1984.

This shelved and curtained history has greatly impacted my life. To have freedom of speech, of peaceful protest, of expression is a privilege. America was created based on those ideas because people fought for their rights intellectually, mentally and physically. Freedom is not handed over by the oppressor. Freedom is something that must be demanded by the oppressed.

Operation Bluestar and the Carnage of November of 1984 are just the beginning.1984 was and is the Sikhs' Kristallnacht. Living in America and using the freedom and independence I have here will enable me to get freedom for other Sikhs in India. America has taught me to use my voice, my freedoms and along with my history, has motivated me to strive. As said by Sant Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindrawale, one of the greatest leaders and martyrs of the Sikh nation, physical death one should not fear, but "death of a conscience is a sure death". The freedom and independence of the Sikh nation cannot be ignored. There will be a time where I will celebrate another independence day besides July 4 th and it will be the independence day of the Sikh nation of Khalistan.

*Amrit Kaur Khalsa is a senior at Tennyson High School, in California.

 

[aksingh]

Dear Sir refrain from posting material from Foreign sikhs please...

 

[alamgir]

Dear Sir refrain from posting material from Foreign sikhs please...

they belong to punjab,thier relative still live in punjab

 

[aksingh]

No.. they all have emigrated abroad I have my pind in Amritsar I know better..... Listen to me I m from India.. I m a sikh.. NO KHALISTAN.. man you just copy paste stuff from stupid websites debate put some neutral websites... Canadians, Americans, Europeans have called Khalistanis terrorists there is a reason for that.... Think being Anti-India all the time wont help... I am as pro an Indian as you'll find and as pro Sikhism as they are... Buddy go to foreigners in Canada and UK.. If you come to Punjab and say Khalistan people'll laugh at you....

Mr Singh said the Khalistan Tehrik, a movement for an independent Sikh country, did not exist in India. He said there were no people under arrest in their connection in India, but some opportunists were trying to cash in on the idea of Khalistan.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_30-8-2005_pg7_4

Pakistan wants the Khalistan movement to survive by providing support to anti-Indian people
ndia gave a list of some 30 “wanted” persons including underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, his associate Chhota Shakeel and Rawalpindi-based Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, Jaish Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar and Ulfa chief Paresh Barua. Pakistan submitted a list of 37 people allegedly hiding in India.

Among other names in the Indian list are Khalistan Commando Force chief Paramjit Singh Panjwar, Babbar Khalsa International leader Wadhawa Singh and Lakhbir Singh, head of another Punjab terrorist group and two men – Ishaq Atta Hussain and Sagir Sabir Ali Shaikh – who allegedly wanted to target Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil.

India also sought extradition of five hijackers of IC-814 in 1999 and some of the Khalistan leaders, including Ranjit Singh Neeta, who are holed up in Pakistan since the late 1980s.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_30-8-2005_pg7_4

Even Americans now do not help Pakistanis in their demands for Khalistan..
Dan Burton, once Pakistan’s strongest supporter in the US Congress and an advocate of the rights of Kashmiris and Sikhs is “now a supporter of India”, according to one of his congressional colleagues.

Congressman Joe Wilson, who was a member of the Burton-led congressional delegation that recently visited Pakistan and India, said in an interview due to be published this week that at first he himself was reluctant to be part of the delegation because he was not sure if Burton would be “even-handed” on India and Pakistan. But he added, “I will tell you that he (Burton) went from being an India-basher to an India lover and you saw that from his comments and in the exclusive interview” he gave to India Abroad on return.

Asked by Aziz Haniffa of the New York-based fortnightly, to which Wilson spoke, if he was convinced that the change in Burton is “for real”, the Congressman replied, “I believe he is now a supporter of India. We also need to keep in mind that this does not mean that he will also not be a strong supporter of Pakistan. He, however, certainly is no longer the enemy – and he was an enemy. I don’t want to sugar-coat this.” Burton, who has been decorated by Pakistan, had for years demanded freedom for the Sikhs in an independent Republic of Khalistan, as well as independence for Kashmiris. He was known as a “one-man standing tirade” against India. Burton’s conversion and change of heart, therefore, has been viewed with some belief by Capitol Hill watchers. khalid hasan
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\01\05\story_5-1-2006_pg7_53
The decade of eighties saw many parallel tracks: a near -agreement on Siachin; agreement to not attack nuclear installations; covert help to the Khalistan movement to weaken India’s Kashmir occupation; India’s brinkmanship through Operation Brasstacks.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_14-8-2003_pg3_7
“Zia’s war against India was in full swing,” a reference to the Khalistan movement in Punjab. By the time, Indian forces put down the Punjab conflict, “Kashmir was in flames.”
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_6-6-2005_pg7_37

Visit this site Punjabtrauma.org...

CHEERS>>>

 

[aksingh]

Son you have lost the battle.. I' m willing to join "our" cause of Khalistan. Free Pakistan Punjab, Sindh and NWFP of all others besides SIKHS// I'll join the cause

 

[Bushroda]

hey Anand you are right it exists only in Canada and UK as those people shifted there around 100 years ago, then again during partition and again during 1984.. They seldom visit India and their idea of India is rooted in the history.I mean all the painful partitions of the British, the partition and the terrorism in Punjab so they feel it still exists. Leave them aside... Khalistan ain't happening anytime soon though...Cheers:

Although, I didn't get a chance to meet Canadian sikhs lemme tell you that British sikhs do not nurture any thoughts of Khalistan in their head. My stay in Britain gave me a chance to interact and observe them. British Sikhs are infact making an attempt to connect back to their roots in India. Several first or second generation sikhs are moving back to Punjab, Chandigarh or New Delhi. Even the current generation are sending their kids to boarding schools in India for their primary education. For marriages they search for an Indian bride/groom.

 

[alamgir]

New face of Khalistan?
Zaffarwal forms partyTribune News Service

Amritsar, May 1
In a sensational statement to embarrass the present SAD-BJP regime in the state, former chief of Khalistan Commando Force Wassan Singh Zaffarwal said the Khalistan movement was still alive but with a different perspective and it would be achieved through peaceful and democratic means.

Zaffarwal, while talking to the media here today, said they had decided to establish their own political outfit - Shiromani Akali Dal (Jaffarwal) - as the SAD had failed to achieve its aim for which it was established. He said the SAD had also failed to fulfil the aspirations of the common masses in the state. He alleged that 60 per cent members in the SAD were drug addicts and most of the leaders and their families were not following the Sikh tenets.

He said his party would work for the setting up of a secretariat at Akal Takht, which will have top Sikh intellectuals as its members. Stressing the need to free the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) from the clutches of the members who had made it their family affair, Zaffarwal said even the members of the committee were not living up to the principles set by the Gurus.

He added that the party would educate the common masses about the new western culture penetrating into the rich cultural heritage of Punjab.



www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070502/punjab.htm-51k

 

[alamgir]

Son you have lost the battle.. I' m willing to join "our" cause of Khalistan. Free Pakistan Punjab, Sindh and NWFP of all others besides SIKHS// I'll join the cause

next time mind your bloody language,pakistan already free from rates,if you are sikh then how you can forget bluestar,i am living in italy and have many sikh friends when ever i ask them about india progress etc. they only reply me we have no concern about india ,we only look punjab and they never forget 84 genocide

 

[alamgir]

Desire for Independence Alive and Well in Punjab - Dr. Aulakh
Sunday 26th of March 2006
Council of Khalistan

Washington, DC - History shows that multinational states such as India are doomed to failure. Countries like Austria-Hungary, India's longtime friend the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and others prove this point. India is not one country; it is a polyglot like those countries. It is doomed to break up as they did.

"The Indian government continues to persecute and kill our Sikh brethren", stated President of the Council of Khalistan, Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh. 'Unity is essential for the liberation of Khalistan,' he said. 'As Professor Darshan Singh, a former Jathedar, said, "If a Sikh is not for Khalistan, he is not a Sikh", Dr. Aulakh noted."This shows that the drive for freedom is still alive in Punjab," he said. "What kind of democracy watches people for demanding freedom? Why don't they watch the Black Cats who have killed thousands of Sikhs with the protection of the Indian government'', he asked.

The Indian government has murdered over 250,000 Sikhs since 1984, more than 300,000 Christians since 1948 as well as tens of thousands of Christians throughout the country, over 90,000 Muslims in Kashmir since 1988, 2,000 to 5,000 Muslims in Gujarat, tens of thousands of Muslims elsewhere in India, and tens of thousands of Assamese, Bodos, Dalits, Manipuris, Tamils, and others. An Indian newspaper reported that the police in Gujarat were ordered to stand aside in that massacre and not to get involved, a frightening parallel to the Delhi massacre of Sikhs in 1984. The Indian Supreme Court called the Indian government's murders of Sikhs "worse than a genocide."

Indian police arrested human-rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra after he exposed their policy of mass cremation of Sikhs, in which over 50,000 Sikhs have been arrested, tortured, and murdered, then their bodies were declared unidentified and secretly cremated. He was murdered in police custody. His body was not given to his family. The police never released the body of former Jathedar of the Akal Takht Gurdev Singh Kaunke after SSP Swaran Singh Ghotna murdered him. No one has been brought to justice for the Khalra kidnapping and murder or for the murder of Jathedar Kaunke. Yet according to a report by the Movement Against State Repression (MASR), 52,268 Sikhs are being held as political prisoners in India without charge or trial, some since 1984!

Missionary Graham Staines was murdered along with his two sons, ages 8 and 10, by a mob of militant, fundamentalist Hindu nationalists who set fire to the jeep, surrounded it, and chanted 'Victory to Hannuman,' a Hindu god. None of the people involved has been tried. The persons who have murdered priests, raped nuns, and burned Christian churches have not been charged or tried. The murderers of 2,000 to 5,000 Muslims in Gujarat have never been brought to trial.

'Only in a free Khalistan will the Sikh Nation prosper and get justice,' said Dr. Aulakh. 'India should act like a democracy and allow a plebiscite on independence for Khalistan and all the nations of South Asia,' Dr. Aulakh said. 'We must free Khalistan now.'

 

[aksingh]

I can never forget the martydom of Guru Arjun Dev ji, Sahibzadeji, Banda Singh Bahadurji and Guru Tegh Bahadurji at the hands of Muslims but I chose to forgive them like I chose to forgive the Hindus...

Most of the genocide of 1984 was carried out in poorer sections of Delhi where the non Punjabi Hindus under congress leadership carried out these attacks on the poorer SIkhs living there. Most of the Punjabi Hindus showed exemplary courage in protecting their fellow Punjabi SIkhs...
I have no hatred towards them...

Ironically Congress has again become popular in Punjab and was in power up till recently in PUnjab.

Stop citing the foreign and marginal SIkh look all over the web you'll see only foreign websites on Khalistan I believe those people are under a time wrap...

And don't you ever bloody me P!G .. Prego .. I m gna beat the cr!p outta you at your own backyard... I'll send Seth Abid on ur @$$ m8...

 

[Bushroda]

AKsingh, chill down. Mass posting bunch of articles from blogs(almost all of them are without links) doesn't change the reality. By showing your rage you are only adding weight to deflated articles which are no better than school essays.

 

[Marathaman]

aksingh...just ignore this guy. He is posting worthless articles from junk websites.

 

[alamgir]

I can never forget the martydom of Guru Arjun Dev ji, Sahibzadeji, Banda Singh Bahadurji and Guru Tegh Bahadurji at the hands of Muslims but I chose to forgive them like I chose to forgive the Hindus...

Most of the genocide of 1984 was carried out in poorer sections of Delhi where the non Punjabi Hindus under congress leadership carried out these attacks on the poorer SIkhs living there. Most of the Punjabi Hindus showed exemplary courage in protecting their fellow Punjabi SIkhs...
I have no hatred towards them...

Ironically Congress has again become popular in Punjab and was in power up till recently in PUnjab.

Stop citing the foreign and marginal SIkh look all over the web you'll see only foreign websites on Khalistan I believe those people are under a time wrap...

And don't you ever bloody me P!G .. Prego .. I m gna beat the cr!p outta you at your own backyard... I'll send Seth Abid on ur @$$ m8...

sie un gran figlio di puttana, spacialmente sporca puttana