Over Seas

Canadian Sikh Coalition hailed the efforts of Australian MP Hon. Warren Entsch

November 7, 2012 | By Sikh Siyasat Bureau

Ontario, Canada (November 07, 2012): Canadian Sikhs have applauded Australian M.P. Warren Entsch’s efforts for tabling a petition of 4453 signatures in Australian Parliament to recognize the November 1984 killings of Sikhs in India as a genocide.

“This is a landmark in Australian and Sikh politics as this was the first time this issue was raised in the Australian Parliament” reads a statement posted on CSC’s website.

“The petition requested the Australian government to recognize the events that took place in November 1984 as an organized ‘genocide’ as defined by the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Further, the petition also asked the Australian government to urge the Indian government to address these human rights violations and take “all reasonable measures” to ensure perpetrators of such violence are held responsible not only for the the acts committed in 1984, but also the ongoing persecution of Sikhs in Punjab today” the CSC states further.

According to CSC: “Mr. Entsch stated he decided to support the petition after learning about the horrific events of the last century. According the Australian MP, “What drove me to act in particular was the United Nations and world leaders – including the Australian Parliament in February this year – have recognized an act of genocide in Srebrenica, Bosnia in 1995, when 7000 men and boys were massacred due to their Muslim faith…I thought to myself, if something of that nature could be recognized so quickly by the world community, it seems unreasonable that the Sikh community has had to wait for so long…I hope this step will serve to raise awareness, and maybe one day there will be the same level of justice for the Sikh community as for the other groups that have been recognized”.”

The Canadian Sikh Coalition commended Australian M.P. Warren Entsch and the Australian Sikh community for raising this concern in Parliament and recognizing the injustices still faced by Sikhs in India today. According to Canadian Sikh Coalition Spokesperson, Moninder Singh, “this petition is incredibly important for the progression of human rights worldwide. Justice will not be delivered by only holding those responsible for committing these horrific crimes in 1984 but also by bringing the current perpetrators to justice. Sikhs have faced persecution by the Indian state since 1947 however, the year 1984 will always remain as one of the darkest in our history. It is important that November 1984 is recognized as a genocide and not referred to as a “riot” or “pogrom” as these words dilute the extremity of the situation. The Sikh nation must also look internally and define justice in a Sikh context. If court ruled punishment for Kuldip Brar, KP Gill, Sumedh Saini, Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar, Kamal Nath and all others who have participated in the state sanctioned genocide of Sikhs was handed out, would the Sikh Nation then be secure within the Indian State? The answer is a resounding no. Since 1984 similar genocidal campaigns have been inflicted upon the Muslim minorities of Gujrat, Christian minorities of Orissa and not to forget the centures old persecution of Dalits. The only safeguard the Sikh nation has is the establishment of an independent state which will allow it the freedom to determine it’s own destiny.”

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Related Topics: 1984 Sikh Genocide, Human Rights, Indian State, November 1984, Sikh Diaspora, Sikh News Canada, Sikhs in Australia (Sikh News from Australia)

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