Written evidence submitted by the Sikh
Federation (UK)
INTRODUCTION
1. This written memorandum on South Asia
has been submitted following a request by the Foreign Affairs
Committee. The Sikh Federation (UK) is pleased the Committee is
holding an inquiry into:
— Political and economic developments
in India and its growing importance.
— Relations between India and Pakistan,
and the question of Kashmir.
— India's role in the region and its
links with its neighbours.
— India's contribution to the international
system, including to the United Nations and other multilateral
fora, such as the non-proliferation regimes.
— The roles of the United Kingdom and
the European Union in South Asia.
2. The written evidence submitted by the
Sikh Federation (UK) brings a British Sikh perspective to an important
area as Sikhs and their homeland are often overlooked. When India
and Pakistan were being created less than 60 years ago the UK
Government offered the Sikh leadership an opportunity for outright
Sikh independence. At that time the Sikh leadership were persuaded
to throw their lot in with India on the basis of certain promises.
Immediately after Indian independence Sikhs refused to sign and
accept the Indian Constitution due to Sikhs being betrayed, a
lack of separate recognition in the Constitution and widespread
discrimination against the Sikh people and Panjab.
3. Therefore, when the Foreign Affairs Committee
is considering this subject area in the context of UK foreign
policy it is vital the British Sikh view is represented as we
are the largest Sikh community in the world outside Panjab. Also
due to strong Anglo-Sikh relations that extend to over 150 years
the UK Government has a moral and historic responsibility to consider
the Sikhs right to self determination and the desire to regain
their lost sovereignty.
4. We are hopeful the Foreign Affairs Committee
will recognise the interests of the British Sikh community and
will invite the Sikh Federation (UK) to give oral evidence as
part of this enquiry.
SELF DETERMINATION
AND THE
SIKHS
5. At Annex A is a paper titled Self-Determination
as a Human Right and its applicability to the Sikhs. A version
of this paper was first published in March 2005 by the Panjabis
in Britain All Party Parliamentary Group. In considering the India/Pakistan
situation and Kashmir it is important that the right to self determination
in general and more specifically of the Sikhs is seen as an integral
part to the determining the foreign policy agenda of the UK and
EU.
INDIA'S
DISREGARD FOR
THE UN, EU AND
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
India is the only country that did not support
the resolution at the UN General Assembly regarding the protection
of human rights while countering terrorism
6. India was the only country not to vote
in favour of the UN General Assembly resolution on the protection
of human rights while countering terrorism. We understand the
UK Government expressed its disappointment that the resolution
could not be adopted by consensus.
7. In our opinion India's unilateral opposition
to the protection of human rights while countering terrorism highlights
a fundamental weakness in India's respect for and approach to
human rights. The Sikh community has suffered enormously in the
last twenty five years due to India's complete disregard for human
rights using the excuse of countering insurgency in Panjab.
India continues to fail to ratify the International
Criminal Court
8. India has failed to accede to the Rome
Statute which established the International Criminal Court (ICC).
We fully agree the ICC represents a major advance in international
justice and the fight against impunity for perpetrators of international
crimes. We applaud the lobbying exercises carried out by the EU
urging states to ratify the Rome Statute.
9. However, the British Sikh community regards
the failure of India to ratify the Rome Statute as most disappointing
and another example of India's refusal to accept international
law, which they breached with the massacre of tens of thousands
of Sikhs in June and then in November 1984 and the continued abuse
of human rights for the last twenty years. Many accept these wrongdoings
constitute the most serious international crimes since Indian
independence.
Human rights violations by Indian security forces
continue in Panjab and Kashmir and the UN and international human
rights organisations continue to be denied access to Panjab
10. Credible reports of human rights violations
by Indian security forces operating in Panjab and Kashmir continue
to emerge. India's failure to allow Amnesty International and
the UN Rapporteur on Torture access to Punjab since 1978 is a
cause for grave concern. These issues have been raised publicly
by MPs in Parliament in the last two years via Early Day Motions
(Annex C) and Parliamentary Questions (Annex D).
India defies the UN and EU and ends the moratorium
on the death penalty
11. Despite the EU lobbing strongly against
the executions, India last year ended the long-standing moratorium
on the death penalty. British Sikhs find India's position on the
death penalty totally unacceptable and the ending of the moratorium
as a most backward and retrograde step.
12. We are submitting this memorandum on
the eve of a three-day visit by the Indian Prime Minister to the
UK (commencing on 10 October 2006) followed by a two-day India-EU
summit in Helsinki to secure trade and investment for India. The
EU is India's largest trading partner with about 25% of Indian
exports coming to EU countries. The EU also provides the most
foreign investment to India. Last year two-way trade between India
and the EU totaled about €38 billion. Given the level of
trade we expect the EU, including the UK, to exercise maximum
pressure on India on accepting the decisions of the international
community.
13. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office
is very much aware of the death penalty imposed on the Sikh activist
Professor Davinderpal Singh Bhullar who was returned to India
from Germany. This matter has been raised by many Parliamentarians
in the UK and at the EU level. As British Sikhs we are deeply
concerned with the case of Professor Davinderpal Singh Bhullar
and expect the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to use greater
pressure on India on the issue of the death penalty and the specific
case of the Professor (Annex D). There are around one hundred
Sikh political prisoners that are known to British Sikhs that
are still languishing in Indian jails, some have been held for
many years without yet being charged or convicted.
14. This submission should be read in conjunction
with our submission on 19 August 2005 to the Home Office consultation
document, "Exclusion or Deportation from the UK on Non-Conducive
Grounds" where we indicated we are "committed to support
measures that prevent all acts of terrorism in the UK, such as
those which took place in London in July 2005 and acts of terrorism
targeting innocent civilians that take place abroad. We welcome
any measures that would prevent such attacks or which would lead
to the prosecution of those responsible for planning and committing
or supporting such crimes". However, we believe a move to
allow restrictions in all places of worship as opposed to targeting
specific Mosques where the Muslim community has requested support
is wrong in principle and may result in unexpected difficulties.
HUMAN RIGHTS
VIOLATIONS OF
SIKHS IN
INDIA
15. In Annex E we draw your attention to
reports and press statements recently issued by:
— Human Rights Advisory Group to the
Panjabis in Britain All-Party Parliamentary Group
16. Our aim is to highlight the UK Government,
EU and the international community have still to undertake a rigorous
expose of the human rights violations in India.
CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
17. Ignoring the needs of the Sikh Nation
given our history and Anglo-Sikh relations in any debate on India,
Pakistan and Kashmir would be doing a great disservice. It must
be remembered that India and Pakistan have only existed as independent
countries for less than 60 years. The UK Government has a moral
and historic responsibility to consider the Sikhs right to self
determination and our desire to regain our lost sovereignty. Given
the ever tense relations between India and Pakistan many informed
commentators would argue it is in the interests of world peace
if there was a strong and powerful Sikh homeland that would create
a buffer between these two countries.
Note:
The Sikh Federation (UK) is a non-governmental
organisation. It is based on the "miri-piri" principle,
the Sikh principle that temporal and spiritual goals are indivisible.
The Federation has expanded its work into Europe
and is striving to provide the Sikhs with a much needed voice
at an international level. Next year it will be seeking consultative
status with the United Nations.
The Federation's aims and objectives are to
work closely with each of the main political parties in the UK
to promote relevant issues set out in the Sikh Agenda for the
UK Government.
The Federation currently has around 75 branches
with individual members in towns and cities throughout the UK.
Over 180 member organisations have affiliated to the Sikh Federation
(UK) including Gurdwaras and groups working with young people,
women and older people.
The Sikh Federation (UK) is in a position to
claim and justify itself as one of the most important Sikh organisations
in the UK.
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