Dal Khalsa mourns demise of Khalistani leader Ganga Singh Dhillon, praises his contribution for Sikh struggle

Amritsar, Punjab: Dal Khalsa today expressed its grief over the demise of Khalistani protagonist Ganga Singh Dhillon in USA last day.

Party’s senior leaders Satnam Singh Paonta Sahiband Kanwar Pal Singh in a statement mourned the death of Dhillon, who was US citizen and chairman of Nankana Sahib Foundation an NGO formed to look after the Sikh religious affairs in Pakistan.

Ganga Singh Dhillon [File Photo]

He took his last breath on 24-09-2014 at his residence in Washington D.C. and will be cremated on Saturday 27-09-2014 in Washington. Dhillon was 86 years old. He was unwell since last few weeks. Like Dr Jagjit Singh Chauhan and Gajinder Singh, he too was associated with the Sikh movement since 70’s and 80’s.

Dhillon shot into limelight when in March 1981 while presiding over the Sikh educational conference being organized by Chief Khalsa Deewan at Chandigarh, he propagated the theory of ‘Sikhs are a Nation’, which subsequently led to the passing of a resolution seeking associate membership for Sikhs in UN on the pattern of PLO.

They recalled that Dhillon was staunch supporter of Sikh movement for independence. His close proximity with Pakistan’s former President Zia-ul-haq, former CM of West Punjab late Zahur-Elahi and former Home Minister Chaudhary Shujat Hussain was well known in Pakistan, said both. Kanwar Pal Singh revealed that Dhillon extended support to hijackers during their long detention in Pakistan for hijacking Indian plane in 1981 and 1984. After their release from 14 years of detention, Pakistan government ordered twelve hijackers to leave their soil. It was Dhillon who was instrumental in arranging their travel documents to proceed to their next destiny, said he.

Ganga Singh Dhillon’s name figured in the list of persons that were barred from entering India. He left India early 80’s and never returned. However, he was frequent visitor to Pakistan.

During his interview with The Tribune reporter in Pakistan on Nov 20, 2002, Dhillon revealed that Akali stalwart Parkash Singh Badal was his friend. Of lately, Punjab government advised Central government to remove his name from the blacklist but to no avail.