Recently, a letter went out to the President of the United States, with the signatures of  19 United States lawmakers, listed below [1]. The letter argued for the dismembering and destruction of the Republic of India, the world's most populous democracy, and a nation which is a friend of the United States. The letter was written on behalf of an organization which calls itself "The Sikh Nation" or "Khalistan" (the Nation of the Pure) [2]. From recent communiques of Gurmit Singh Aulakh, the Khalistan organization's spokesman, it has become clear that the letter was in fact composed by the Khalistan organization, with the Congresspeople serving as mere fronts.

Congressman Burton has been sponsoring resolutions each year, with similar themes. In fact the Khalistan web page [2]  features the Hon. Burton himself  in the center of their front page, and devote a whole "index" to him [3].  Over the years, as lawmakers became aware of the nature ofKhalistan, his list of supporters has shrunk from over a hundred, down to the present 19. It is time for a closer look at the people and motivations behind this letter.

Sikhs in India: Respected citizens or oppressed minority? 

In the 1970s, India underwent a "Green Revolution". With help from international scientists including the Nobel Prize winner Dr. Norman Borlaug,  Indian farmers turned a nation which had experienced several famines, into a net exporter of food within 20 years. The northwestern state of Punjab ("Five Rivers"), a fertile plain producing wheat and rice, was at the head of this achievement, and quickly became the most prosperous and dynamic of India's 25 states.

Ref.[4] describes Punjab's eventful history and the dynamism of its people today: " Many races of people and religions made up the cultural heritage of the Punjab....the land where spiritual aspirations arose. This heroic land bore numerous invasions, and after all its suffering, did not entirely lose its glory and its strength. Here it was that the gentle Nanak preached his marvellous love for the world. Here it was that his broad heart opened and his arms outstretched to embrace the whole world......about eight centuries before Christ, the Punjab was the most enlightened and the prosperous region  in the world..."

The Vedas and the Epics of Hinduism are also believed to have been composed here.  Many of the people of Punjab today  follow the Sikh religion founded by Guru Nanak, one of many religions born and represented in India. While Sikhs comprise perhaps 2% of India's population, they have played, and continue to play, a larger-than-life role in her history.  One President, numerous military General Officers including Chiefs of the Army and Air Force, a large fraction of  winners of war honors for heroism in defence of India, and numerous sports heroes, are Sikh; so are numerous Central Cabinet Ministers, high-ranking civil servants, and innumerable businesspeople and professionals. By no stretch of the imagination can Sikhs be considered a repressed minority: the truth is exactly the opposite. They are generally held in awe and respect all over India.

The Khalistan terror caused very serious divisions in Indian society in the 1980s, bringing the nation to the brink of civil war in 1984. Today India and Punjab are healing from all that [4]. With law and order restored by 1994, Punjab is governed by an elected Ministry dominated by Sikh citizens. The Police force in the Punjab has always been dominated by the Sikhs, including K.P.S. Gill, the Police Chief credited with crushing the terrorists.

The Rise of Khalistan: Confluence of Personal Ambition, Greed, Bigotry and Wealth

As Punjab became wealthy, the usual resentments against the Central Government, familiar to every American, gained momentum. Over the decades, a large expatriate Sikh population had grown in the farmlands of Canada, the United States and Britain. Though these communities contain many dynamic professionals, a militant fundamentalist wing also appears to have sprung up, with disastrous consequences for their "old country".  Born of the ambition for power, fueled by foreign wealth, the "Sikh Nation" or "Khalistan Movement"  incited gullible Sikh youths with the premise that Sikhs are too good to be part of India. It has much in common with other such "pure nation" movements: Americans are familiar with "The Aryan Nations" or "The Nation of Islam", for example: all mockeries of the gentle religions which they profess to save. Curiously, “Khalistan” means “Nation of the Pure” in Punjabi, the same as “Pakistan” in Urdu. The Babbar Khalsa Movement, considered the worst of the Khalistan terrorists, was founded in Canada [5].

The Khalistan Movement’s Record: Over 20,000 Victims of Terrorism

In the 1980s, as relative peace came to Kashmir after Pakistan's debacle in the 1971 war, Pakistan dictator General Zia Ul Haq sought another avenue for “revenge” against India. Foreign-funded weapons flowed into Punjab across the Pakistan border [6].  The frustrations of living in a poor nation were turned into propaganda about Federal exploitation, though Punjab continued to enjoy industrial and agricultural growth well above most Indian States. Turf battles between fundamentalist gangs [6] diversified into attacks on non-Sikhs in Punjab, then quickly expanded into shootings [7] and bombings [8] of law officers. Elected leaders [6] including the (Sikh) Chief Minister of the State of Punjab, Beant Singh, and thousands of ordinary citizens, were murdered. In the 1970s, Indian policemen were armed with "lathis" (nightsticks); the "Central Armed Police", a rapid reaction force of riot police, were armed with .303 WW-II  rifles at best. The terrorists came armed with foreign-origin Kalashnikovs[6].

Tens of thousands of people died in the terrorism. To quote "PunjabTrauma.com", an organization of the people of Punjab dedicated to bringing out the truth about the terror, [9] " the orgy of violence was at its peak between 1986-1993 when more than 20,000 peace- loving Punjab residents were killed by terrorists. The totality of killings and mindlessness in shootouts in trains, railway stations, buses, shopping complexes, parks and other public places were totally stunning and mind boggling.  The sufferings by peace-loving Punjab families have no parallel in history anywhere in the world. Everyday newspapers carried details of pointless and purposeless killings by terrorists. The resultant effects of demoralising, silencing and incapacitating the Punjabis at large is fully achieved, if that was the goal. " In 1987, the puppeteers of Khalistan terrorism, from their safe, comfortable quarters in the West, declared "independence", [2] thus officially declaring themselves as secessionists and foreign invaders.

Here is an excerpt from a Rand Corporation study on "religious" fundamentalist terrorism [10] ,  showing the nature of the "independence struggle" conducted by  the Hon. Burton's clients: "Although millenarian and apocalyptic visions are less apparent in Sikh terrorism, the bloodshed currently unfolding in India's Punjab region nonetheless provides further evidence of the relationship between "holy terror" and increased lethality. ... Foremost among the Sikhs' aims is independence from India and the establishment of a revitalized Sikh nation, called Khalistan- literally, "Land of the Pure." In this regard, the group has sought to cleanse the Punjab of "foreign influences" - an aim that led to the murder of 16 executives and technicians at a textile factory partly-owned by the American multi-national company, DuPont, in March 1992. An estimated 20,000 persons have been killed as result of Sikh violence during the past decade. In 1991 alone, a record 4,700 deaths occurred in the Punjab. Although the majority of the fatalities were members of the regions Hindu minority population, fellow Sikhs judged as traitors or apostates have also been targeted.

The Sikh attacks, one observer notes, are almost "entirely indiscriminate nature," with crowded passenger trains a favorite target. One hundred Hindu passengers were killed and 70 injured in two such attacks in 1991-additional attacks on rail traffic have individually claimed the lives of more than 50 persons and wounded upwards of 70 others. [12]"

Inciting Civil War: Sacrilege and Regicide

In 1983, Khalistan terrorists took over the primary shrine of Sikhism: the Golden Temple in Amritsar, turning it into an armory and torture dungeon for kidnap victims including policemen, some of whom were then murdered [6]. To minimize offense to religious sensibilities, Indian law officers were ordered to go in barefoot into the temple to arrest the terrorist leader, J.S. Bhindranwale. The terrorists observed no such niceties: they machine-gunned the law officers, disregarding the innocent civilian worshippers caught in the middle. Over a hundred law enforcement officers and numerous civilians were  murdered [6] before the terrorists were flushed out. Khalistan proponents, with characteristic callousness, cite the damage to the temple buildings [2] as evidence of the Indian Government's atrocious intents towards Sikhism, conveniently ignoring the question of  why  they  sacrileged their holiest shrine as a weapons cache and terrorist headquarters and machine-gunned law officers sent to bring them before the Law.

In 1984, they subverted the Sikh bodyguards of Mrs. Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, who had rejected advice to replace them, into machinegunning her to death. This betrayal of a popular leader triggered a horrible backlash which caused the deaths of thousands of innocent Sikh Indian citizens all over North India. Many in the West predicted a quick disintegration for India: the Republic was in its darkest hour.

International Air Terrorism: 331 victims in a day

In June 1985, the Air India Boeing 747 "Emperor Kanishka", flight AI 182,  was blown up over the Irish Sea, killing all 329 people on board [5], [13], [14]. The Captain and First Officer were Sikhs; there were at least 60 children on board [14]. The victims included at least twenty-two American citizens, including some of the children [5].  The same day, a suitcase bomb exploded at Narita airport, Japan, killing two baggage handlers: the bomb was in a suitcase destined for another Air India flight. Mr. Inderjit Singh Reyat, a member of the Babbar Khalsa group [14] of the Khalistan movement, was convicted, and sent to serve a 10-year term in Canadian jail for the murder of the Narita workers [14], [15]. In October 2000, after a 15-year investigation [16], [14], the Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested two more Babbar Khalsa members  and charged them with 331 counts of murder [5], [13], [14], [17],[18]. The prime suspect in the AI 182 bombing was killed in a 1992 encounter with Indian law officers  [13].

The Human Rights Bogey

Eventually, the terrorist movement was crushed, but at a very high cost. The Punjab police, dominated by Sikhs, suffered the most casualties and led the war against terrorism. Doubltless, the rights of many innocents were also violated as outgunned, out-funded, desperate law enforcement agencies used desperate measures to stamp out foreign-sponsored terrorism aimed to destroy the entire nation. India has dealt openly and forthrightly with this tragic chapter of Indian history [19]. As the Burton letter points out, the Indian legal system up to the Supreme Court has taken an interest in safeguarding citizens’ rights. The Punjab government investigated several cases and ordered Police officers to stand trial for alleged human rights violations: decorated heroes viewed this as a gross betrayal, and committed suicide rather than stand trial for what they perceived to be the only way they could have done their jobs. Ultimately, the largest human rights violation, by far, is that committed by the Khalistan Movement, who have deprived over 21,000 humans of the most fundamental right to life [9], [10]. KPS Gill, the Sikh Chief of Police who is credited with the eventual victory over the terrorists, states his case clearly in Ref. [20].

The Khalistan-Pakistan-Bin Laden Nexus of Global Terror: Excerpts from US Intelligence Reports

The Khalistan secessionist  terrorists have shamelessly sought the help of the Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence organization which coordinates Pakistan's  worldwide terrorist activities, ignoring the history of brutality and genocide which Sikhs have suffered from Pakistan, and insulting the heroism of hundreds of  Sikh men of the Indian Armed Foces who have died fighting the Pakistani aggressors. From the US Congressional Record, 1994: "The role played by Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence agency in exporting terror to Kashmir and Punjab in neighboring India was sufficiently well-documented for the previous administration to place the country on the watch list of states sponsoring terrorism. " [21].  Even as Indian Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee was visiting Pakistan with a bold peace initiative in February 1999, these terrorists were sneaking into Punjab to try and ignite the violence again, as exemplified by the interrogation report on a captured terrorist [22]. This provides yet another link between Khalistan terrorism and Pakistan, which of course explains why Khalistanis find such a friend in the Hon. Burton. The Hon. Burton is reputed to get large amounts of funds from the Pakistani lobby [23]. The commander of Pakistani forces on the Indian border at the time was none other than General Pervez Musharraf, whose credentials include being the mentor of Sheikh Osama Bin Laden's terrorist career. In the 1980s, Musharraf sent Bin Laden at the head of a gang of tribal savages to brutalize the people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in Gilgit/Baltistan [24].

Lets look at what the US State Department has to say about Khalistan [25]:  The Babbar Khalsa and others are listed under "Other Terrorist Groups", which means [25]:"..groups that were active during 1999. Terrorist groups whose activities were limited in scope in 1999 are not included. " Which makes them active terrorists even today, as evident from the continuing news items from India on Pakistan-sponsored terrorists being caught red-handed carrying AK-56s. Excerpts from Ref. [25]: " Sikh terrorism is sponsored by expatriate and Indian Sikh groups who want to carve out an independent Sikh state called Khalistan (Land of the Pure) from Indian territory. Active groups include Babbar Khalsa, International Sikh Youth Federation, Dal Khalsa, Bhinderanwala Tiger Force, and the Saheed Khalsa Force...Attacks in India are mounted against Indian officials and facilities, other Sikhs, and Hindus; they include assassinations, bombings, and kidnappings. Attacks have dropped markedly since 1992, as Indian security forces have killed or captured numerous senior Sikh militant leaders and have conducted successful Army, paramilitary, and police operations. Many low-intensity bombings that might be attributable to Sikh extremists now occur without claims of credit. Strength Unknown. Location/Area of Operation Northern India, western Europe, Southeast Asia, and North America. External Aid: Militant cells are active internationally, and extremists gather funds from overseas Sikh communities. Sikh expatriates have formed a variety of international organizations that lobby for the Sikh cause overseas. Most prominent are the World Sikh Organization and the International Sikh Youth Federation."

Endthe Hon. Burton Group's Support ofTerrorism, Please! 

This is the terrorist lobby  which the Hon. Burton and his cohort  are espousing with their Hon. signatures, in the guise of concern for the rights of  those arrested on suspicion of terrorism.  Where is their concern for the survivors of the victims of terrorism?  How much money are they getting from the forces of global terrorism to do this? Is this  money not stained with the blood of  thousands of innocent Indians? And  the blood of the twenty-two US citizens on AI182, at the very least? Given the connections between Khalistan, Musharraf and Bin Laden, do the Hon. Burton Nineteen also have the blood of the American victims of the embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, and the USS Cole, on their hands?   Time will tell.

Punjab Heals While the Terrorists Fume

Meanwhile, Punjabis, most certainly including Sikh Indian citizens, continue to enjoy full constitutional rights. To quote again from the site run by the Punjabi people [9] , "Today, Punjab has almost come out of the days of trouble. And, is once again on the progress path. Let's wish it success in its endeavour for growth. "   The dynamism of the people of Punjab is evident.  Today, India and the United States are building  a powerful alliance of democracies across the world.The State Legislature of California in 1999 approved a resolution declaring Punjab, India, to be a sister state of California, USA. Many Punjabis are returning to settle and retire in Punjab with their earnings from abroad, as tranquility and the rule of law return to this traumatized land. Please give them a chance! Please stop the Hon. Burton's clients from re-igniting the nightmare of violence.

The forces of global terrorism are getting desperate as they find themselves increasingly isolated. The terrorist business is beleagured as the world closes in on the forces which have reduced Afghanistan, Pakistan's neighbor, to a good approximation of hell on Earth. The terrorist forces will go to great lengths to drive wedges between India and the US.

We appeal to you, in the name of humanity and civilization, to help eradicate terrorism from the world, and to dissuade your Hon. colleagues from supporting terrorists. Thank you.
 
 

References
 

[1] Letter from the Council of Khalistan  <[email protected]> signed by Hon. Dan Burton and 18 other United States Lawmakers on behalf of Khalistan, March 2001. See list of purported signers in the Appendix below.
[2] Web Pages of Khalistan  http://www.khalistan.net/welcome.htm
[3]  "Dan Burton".  Web page on United States Congressman Dan Burton at the Khalistan Web Page, http://www.khalistan.net/dan-index.htm
[4] Web Pages of PunjabOnLine, an introduction to contemporary Punjab.  http://www.punjabonline.com/servlets/library.library?Action=Intro
[5] Salim Jiwa, "Third Arrest in Air India Case". October 30, 2000. http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/canada001030.html
[6] Punjab: Backgrounder. South Asia Terrorism Portal. Institute for Conflict Management.  http://www.satp.org/India/Punjab/Backgrounder_Punjab.htm
[7] List of "Shootouts". From Web pages of PunjabTrauma.org,   http://www.punjabtrauma.org/shoot/index.html
[8] List of "Bombings". From Web pages of PunjabTrauma.org,   http://www.punjabtrauma.org/blast/index.html
[9] Web pages of PunjabTrauma.org, a Punjabi people's organization dedicated to the victims of terrorism. http://www.punjabtrauma.org/site/index.html
[10] Bruce  Hoffman  "HOLY TERROR": THE IMPLICATIONS OF TERRORISM MOTIVATED BY A RELIGIOUS IMPERATIVE
RAND Paper P-7834, 1993    http://www.nwcitizen.com/publicgood/reports/holywar3.htm#endn39
[11]Bernard Imhasly "A Decade of Terrorism in the Punjab," Swiss Review of World Affairs, March 1991 p.23
[12] Ian Greig "The Punjab: Plagued By Terror," Conflict International, July 1992.
[13] Investigations into the Kanishka Bombing, 1985. From South Asia Terror Portal, Institute of Conflict Management. http://www.satp.org/India/Punjab/Kanishka.htm
[14] Michael McAuliffe and Peter Hadzipetros: "The Bombing of Air India Flight 182"  http://cbc.ca/news/indepth/airindia/
[15] Royal Canadian Mounted Police Web Page  detailing conviction of terrorist for Narita airport bombing. http://www.airindia.istar.ca/ai-inves.html
[16] Royal Canadian Mounted Police Web Page on the Investigation of the bombing of AI182. http://www.airindia.istar.ca/
[17] Times of India, Dec. 30, 2000, news item from Vancouver, CA on bail hearing for the two men charged with the 1985 Air-India bombing http://www.timesofindia.com/301200/30worl2.htm
[18] Indian Express, January 3, 2001 news item from Vancouver on judge pondering bail for Air India bomb suspects http://www.expressindia.com/news/daily/20010103/00300601.htm
[19] Ajay Singh, "Probing Terror in Punjab An anti-militant drive returns to haunt police". AsiaWeek, August 22, 1987.   http://www.asiaweek.com/asiaweek/97/0822/nat6.html
[20] KPS Gill, "Endgame in Punjab: 1988-93"http://www.icm-satp.com/faultlines/Faultlines%201/Content...
[21] "Militant Held, AK-56 Rifle Recovered". India Tribune, February 18, 1999.  http://www.tribuneindia.com/99feb18/punjab.htm
[22]  Hon. Frank Pallone, Jr., in the House of Representatives,  "Pakistan's  Involvement  In Narco-Terrorism" -- (by John Ward Anderson and Khamran Khan)
Congressional Record, Monday, October 3, 1994 (Extension of Remarks ) [Page: E2044]  http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1994_cr/h941003-terror-pak.htm
[23] Burton and Foreign Funny Money  http://www.sit.wisc.edu/~lsfitzge/burt.htm
[24]Raman, B., “General Pervez Musharraf: His Past and Present” South Asia Analysis Group Papers,  http://www.saag.org/papers/paper66.html,  July 1999.
Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1999
[25]  Anon., "Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1999". Background Information on Terrorist Groups;  US Government Archive Site for State Department  information prior to January 20, 2001.  http://www.state.gov/www/global/terrorism/1999report/appb.html

Appendix: The Hon. Burton Nineteen
Excerpt from Ref. 1:

"Signers of the letter included
Congressman Dan Burton (R-Ind.), chairman of the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee;
Congressman Edolphus Towns (D-NY);
Congressman Roscoe W. Bartlett (R-Md.);
Congressman Wally Herger (R-Cal.);
Congressman John T. Doolittle (R-Cal.);
Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.);
Congressman George P. Radanovich (R-Cal.);
Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Cal.);
Congressman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.);
Congressman James Traficant (D-Ohio);
Congressman Peter King (R-NY);
Congressman Philip M. Crane (R-Ill.);
Congressman Bobby Rush (D-Ill.);
Congressman Gary Condit (D-Cal.);
Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.);
Congressman Martin Frost (D-Tex.);
Congressman Max Sandlin (D-Tex.);
Congressman Bob Riley (R-Ala.); and
Congressman Ciro D. Rodriguez (D-Tex.)