The 300th anniversary of the first sovereign Sikh state, founded in May 1710, by Banda Singh Bahadur falls this week and the Sikh national hero’s achievements were hailed as an inspiration to the current Khalistan struggle. Also commemorated was the Declaration of Khalistan made in 1986, pursuant to the decisions of the Sarbat Khalsa (national gathering), when the Sikhs set out their political goals following India’s notorious armed assault on the Golden Temple in Amritsar in June 1984.
Citing the UN’s own rejection of India’s unlawful ‘reservation’ against the application of the right of self-determination to nations under its occupation, the resolutions adopted at the annual Khalistan Day Conference identified Indian imperialist policies as being the direct cause of bloody conflicts in the sub-continent. It extended support to the Kashmiri and Naga freedom struggles and called on the international community to bring India to book for carrying out genocide against Muslims, Christians and Sikhs in an attempt to suppress legitimate, democratic movements for self-rule.
Referring to a ‘blacklist’ of Indian politicians and security officials to be put before an international criminal tribunal for genocide, the Conference called for the UK Government to start the process by arresting Indian Trade Minister Kamal Nath, who is speaking at a public function in London on 12 May 2010. Nath has been identified in credible witness testimony as being personally involved in the massacres of Sikhs in Delhi in November 1984, in which some 20,000 Sikhs were brutally murdered in three days of pogroms. He has not been prosecuted by any Indian court, despite 25 years of efforts by human rights defenders in India to hold him to account for his alleged war crimes.
Barrister Sultan Mahmood, former prime Minister of Azad Kashmir, spoke of the need for Sikhs and Kashmiris to form an effective diplomatic front to expose Indian imperialism on the global stage. He said liberation of Khalistan and Kashmir would bring massive peace and security dividends in South Asia, which the international community cannot afford to ignore. A message from the Government of Nagalim’s Foreign Minister, Rh. Raising, was delivered by Peter Davis (Naga Support group, UK) and referred to India as “the same force that tried to completely destroy Khalistan is doing the same to the Nagas today”. It went on to say “We strongly believe that the people of Khalistan have every right to determine their future for themselves. To this effect the sole authority lies with the people of Khalistan and not with India”.
In a reference to recent remarks by India’s Home Minister PV Chidambram , Amrik Singh Sahota, OBE, President of the Council of Khalistan, which organised the event in conjunction with Dal Khalsa, invited Chidambaram to recognise that sovereignty is hardwired in to the Sikh psyche and that he would do better to come to the negotiating table rather than issue futile requests through the media for Sikhs to abandon the freedom struggle. Other Sikhs speakers included Manmohan Singh (Dal Khalsa), Gurmej Singh Gill (Khalistan Govt in Excile), Sukvinder Singh (Sikh Federation, UK), Santokh Singh Saran (Akali Dal, Amritsar),Kashmir Singh (British Sikh Federation) and, by telephone link, Kanwarpal Singh (Dal Khalsa in Punjab, which is holding a freedom march in the Sikh homeland on 12 May).
In a message, Lord Ahmed noted how his support for Khalistan has led to India refusing him a Visa; he said a true democracy would allow political dissent and encouraged the Sikh to remain steadfast by democratically pursuing their international rights. In his message, recently re-elected Khaled Mahmood, MP backed the Sikh right of self-determination and supported the establishment of criminal tribunals to punish Sikh genocide perpetrators.
Shall that Sikh Kingdom will be extended to Kohat????
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