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PRESS RELEASE FROM THE COUNCIL OF KHALISTAN
Re: Passing away of Dr Jagjit Singh Chohan
The Council of Khalistan today learned of the demise of Dr Jagjit Singh
Chohan with great sadness. Having passed on its heartfelt condolences to his
family, the Council wishes to express the loss that will be keenly felt by so
many of those who shared his unshakeable conviction that the Sikh national
interest can only be safeguarded by the creation of an independent sovereign
state of Khalistan in Punjab.
Dr Chohan, a former president of the Council, was a visionary leader who
shunned the personal advancement which his considerable political skills and
credentials as a former Punjab Finance Minister offered him, in order to
pursue
that noble cause. His clarion call for Sikhs to assert their right to self
determination, as enshrined in international law, was first made decades ago
and he was forced in to exile in order to pursue his political goals. At the
time he was ridiculed by those who foolishly believed that the Sikhs and their
homeland were safe within the Indian state.
Subsequent events proved beyond doubt that his insight was correct. Since
the early 1980s the Sikhs have suffered a genocidal assault in India which has
cost hundreds of thousands of lives and which the international community has
been witness to. The level of political oppression has left the Sikhs in
Punjab unable to raise their voice and now, as the recent Punjab election
results demonstrate, their destiny lies in the hands of their historic enemy
the
Congress party and the right wing Hindu nationalist BJP, both of which have
shown their clear intention to destroy the Sikhs as a nation. Meanwhile, those
who were responsible for the mass human rights violations against the Sikhs
remain protected by the Indian state.
It is a matter of great credit to Dr Chohan that upon his return to Punjab
he remained resolute in his campaign for Khalistan, notwithstanding the
persecution of the Indian state which not only saw him charged with sedition
but
also subjected to personal threats. He spoke out against communal conflict
and
instead sought to bring all sections of Indian-occupied Punjab in to the
peaceful struggle for freedom. If other Sikh leaders in Punjab stood by their
publicly made commitments in favour of Khalistan then perhaps by now the vision
would have become a reality.
Be that as it may, the Sikhs will never abandon their lawful and rightful
claim to independence and will, as their history shows, ultimately overcome
the
forces of oppression and injustice. Dr Chohan made a worthy contribution to
that struggle. The Council of Khalistan honours the memory of this stalwart
of the Sikh freedom movement.
Amrik Singh Sahota, OBE
President,
Council of Khalistan,
United Kingdom.
4th April 2007
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