Khalistan Calling newsletter dated September 04, 2002.

The following KHALISTAN CALLING newsletter has been published in the leading Punjabi-English newspaper of the Sikh diaspora, Surrey Canada-based CHARHDI KALA,- Issue of September 04-10, 2002 : Vol. 18 : No. 36. Last week's Khalistan Calling is available at http://www.khalistan-affairs.org/Main/K_Calling/kc08282002.htm <) It was also published in the first week of September, 2002, in the Vancouver-based PUNJAB GUARDIAN, and Akal Guardian, Toronto-based SANJH SAVERA, Calgary-based SIKH VIRSA and numerous other Punjabi/English weekly and monthly publications which cater to the three million strong Sikh diaspora in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. The Overseas Sikhs, unlike their 20 million compatriots captive in India, are free and prosperous and they are determined - as they believe it is their destiny and pray for it every day; Raj Karay Ga Khalsa; Sikhs will rule - to carve a sovereign, democratic, egalitarian Sikh buffer state of KHALISTAN in South Asia, stretching from the Jumna river on the East, to the Pakistan border on the West, China on the Northeast and Kashmir on the North.

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A SALUTE

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Washington DC: September 04, 2002: Last Friday (August 30) Sikh farmers in the thousands, marched from the Bangla Sahib Gurdwara to the Prime Minister's House in New Delhi - India - in a noisy protest (organized by the the BKU - Bharatia Kisan Union - and joined by the IHRO - International Human Rights Organization) against the theft of Punjab river water by non-riparian Hindu-majority Rajasthan and Haryana states which policy of plunder (having the BJP central government's overt and covert support) has pushed the Sikh Homeland into a water-famine this year and brought economic ruin to millions of Sikh farmers while it fattens the morally repugnant usurious Banias in every Punjab village.

For a backgrounder please see Khalistan Calling, dated July 31, 2002, headlined, "Sikh-Punjab's Made-in-Delhi water-famine," at: > http://www.khalistan-affairs.org/Main/K_Calling/kc07312002.htm < and Khalistan Calling, dated July 24, 2002, headlined, "No monsoons, but Bhakra dam is overflowing;" at > http://www.khalistan-affairs.org/Main/K_Calling/kc07242002.htm < and Khalistan Calling dated March 27, 2002 headlined, "Punjab Chief Minister urged to join Sirdar Simranjit Singh Mann to resist Delhi's water/SYL challenge," at: http://www.khalistan-affairs.org/Main/K_Calling/kc03272002.htm < and Khalistan Calling dated February 06, 2002, headlined, "Conspiracy of two Hindu Siupreme Court Judges on the SYL canal issue exposed", at: > http://www.khalistan-affairs.org/Main/K_Calling/kc02062002.htm < and Khalistan Calling dated August 21, 2001, headlined, "Indian Supreme Court orders a 'Hindu solution' of the SYL dispute" at: > http://www.khalistan-affairs.org/Main/K_Calling/kc08212001.htm < and Khalistan Calling dated November 14, 2000, headlined, "Pakistani intellectuals suggest purchase of Sutlej water from Sikh Punjab" at: > http://www.khalistan-affairs.org/Main/K_Calling/kc11142000.htm < and Khalistan Calling dated March 17, 1999, headlined, " Simranjit Singh Mann will symbolically fill up SYL canal on March 20, 1999 near Fatehgarh Sahib & Bassi Pathan road," at: > http://www.khalistan-affairs.org/Main/K_Calling/kc031799.htm < and Khalistan Calling dated July 15, 1998, headlined, "Non-riparian Hindu-majority Rajasthan syphons billions of cusecs of Punjab river water free but Sikhs are not allowed to buy land in that state," at: > http://www.khalistan-affairs.org/Main/K_Calling/kc071598.html <

The New Delhi protest marchers, last Friday, carried placards - which said it all - which read, "Mr Vajpayee, take our blood, not water"; "Punjab becoming barren, Save it"; "Supreme Court! Hear Punjab on legality of "agreements" on waters"; "Stop loot of Punjab’s river waters and power" ; "Restore Punjab’s riparian rights"; etc., etc. As soon as the protest march was stopped near the Parliament Police Station, by the Delhi Police, the protestors sat in 'dharna' on the road and peacefully blocked all traffic near the Indian parliament.

As the Indian government probably did not want the eyeball to eyeball confrontation to continue, near the Parliament (frequented by many camera-equipped foreign journalists) between the armed police and the Punjabi protestors, (as most of the peaceful protestors were muscular Sikhs in colourful turbans carrying Kirpans - swords) an overt message arrived from the Prime Minister's residence that the Indian Prime minister, Pundit Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had agreed to grant an audience to a delegation of five who could present the memorandum of protest. A synchronized covert message, we are told by our sources there, was also sent by the PM's office, to the Indian media to censor the news of the impressive August 30 Sikh protest in New Delhi, which instruction the socalled 'FREE', but venal, Indian media seems to have obeyed.

The IHRO chairperson Sirdar D. S. Gill also suggested, very wisely we believe, to the BKU leadership and the protestors to, "carry on with this Morcha on three fronts. One, on the political front we need to further strengthen ourselves to create public opinion for this lifeline subject matter of Punjab and let the Centre know that Punjab is not its colony. Second, we should wholeheartedly put in our efforts to get justice from the Constitutional bench of the Indian Supreme Court, challenging the very vires of the so-called agreements on Punjab waters, thus hoping that the SC will not become tool in hands of the politicians on this crucial issue. Third, if we could not get through these efforts, we will have no option but to start a peaceful agitation to put an end to the Haryana’s project in Punjab, the SYL canal."

At the August 20 protest, Sirdar D. S. Gill, the IHRO chief, expressed his concern over the Supreme Court of India, which is known world-wide for its independence and impartiality, which had, "become a tool in the hands of the politicians in the case of Punjab waters and it had ordered the Punjab State to complete the SYL canal by Jan 15, 2003, without going into the vires of the so-called agreements on water which were unconstitutional and anti-riparian rights and law." He declared that, "the IHRO would file a writ petition in the Supreme Court, challenging the very vires of the earlier agreements, including 1981 agreement and the Rajiv-Longowal accord after the all-party's Chandigarh meeting, on August 27 in the Kisan Bhawan and the August 30 New Delhi protest."

In the August 27 all-party Chandigarh meeting, organized at the initiative of the Bharti Kisan Union - BKU-, and the International Human Rights Organisation - IHRO -, the SAD - Badal and others (including Mr Balwinder Singh Bhunder - SAD -, Mr Balwant Singh Ramoowalia - Lok Bhalai Party - , Mr. Kuldeep Singh Wadala - Democratic Akali Dal - , Mr Satnam Singh Behru - SAD/A -, Mr D S Gill - IHRO -, Mr Ajmer Singh Lakhowal - BKU -, Mr Manjit Singh Kadian - BKU - and Mr. Gurdev Singh Brar - Institute of Sikh Studies - and Mr. Pritam Singh Kumedan, experts on rivers waters, Mr L. S. Bhangu -MCPI -, and Ms Harvinder Kaur, a Supreme Court advocate, endorsed all the three main resolutions placed before the gathering. Interestingly, the ruling Congress party, the CPI, the CPM and the Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal of Mr. Gurcharan Singh Tohra did not participate in the August 27 Chandigarh meeting or the August 30 New Delhi protest.

Through the first resolution at the August 27 Chandigarh meeting, the participants rejected all the agreements pertaining to the diversion of river waters and electricity to Haryana and Rajasthan etc. Another resolution urged Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to convene a special session of the Vidhan Sabha to reject on the floor of the Assembly all accords pertaining to river waters signed till date to send a message across the country that all political and other organisations in the state are united on the river waters issue. It was unanimously agreed by another resolution to make a submission to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to, "refer the BKU’s pending writ petition to the Constitutional Bench of the apex court. As a number of constitutional issues and technical points pertaining to the ownership and diversion of river waters have been mentioned in the petition, "it would be appropriate if the matter was decided by such a Bench."

Life-giving water effects everybody today, and it will effect everybody tomorrow even more in the Punjab, and as such, a unanimous stand on the issue is a MUST for Sikh survival. We welcome Sirdar Simranjit Singh Mann's current world tour and wish him all the best and urge him to continue to needle, publicly, the Punjab Chief Minister into convening a special session of the Punjab assembly (Vidhan Sabha) to demonstrate unity on the water dispute in general and SYL in particular. We also urge the Punjab Congress party, the CPI, the CPM and Sarb-a-Hind Akali Dal (Tohra), all of whom missed the August 27, 2002 Chandigarh meeting, to introspect, show patriotism and join in thwarting the water conspiracy against Sikh Punjab. "When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion:"-- Ethiopian proverb.

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