March 25, 1996 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E443 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS

TRIBUTE TO THE NATIONAL ASSO- Jeanette Carr, will observe its sixth annual main Sikh political groups had boycotted to CIATION OF RETIRED FEDERAL Clean City Week. Clean City Week offers the pursue their decade long agitation for a radi- EMPLOYEES opportunity for community organizations to join cal measure of autonomy for Punjab. As the Sikh electorate, constituting the majority of forces to clean neighborhood eyesores while Punjab’s population stayed away from the HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY reinforcing community pride. Groups participat- polling, the Congress party won the elec- OF NEW YORK ing include the police department and its Ex- tions, without a real contest. But the gov- plorers unit, area Boy Scouts, school leaders, IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ernment formed by the Congress party under and several charitable organizations. Beant Singh’s leadership projected the elec- Monday, March 25, 1996 This year's planned projects include collect- tion results as the democratic mandate to Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, today I am ing trash along a bayside shoreline, painting stamp out the Sikh agitation, promising to pleased to rise to pay tribute to the National the houses of elderly residents, cleaning implement the mandate by all possible alleys, and painting over graffiti. means. Reports of human rights violations Association of Retired Federal Employees. We became widespread. are happy to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Clean City Week is an example of neigh- The leaders of Hindu public opinion in this vital national organization which has been bors working together toward a positive end. Punjab argued that the due process of law so integral to the rights of this Nation's retired All participants are to be commended for their was a luxury, which India could not afford Federal employees. efforts. I am proud that so many in my district while fighting the secessionist terrorism: The National Association of Retired Federal care so deeply about their environment. My [Interview with Vijay Chopra, publisher thanks to everyone working to make North and editor of Hind Samachar group of news- Employees [NARFE] was formed on February papers, who brings out the three most popu- 19, 1921, with 14 founding members. It now Miami sparkle and shine. lar language dailies in northern India.] boasts a membership of nearly half a million f Only the human rights groups and the indi- with 1,740 chapters in every State as well as viduals, with little influence on the working HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN SIKH overseas. Their mission is to protect the of the government, expressed indignation NATION earned benefits of retired Federal workers and against the reports of police atrocities. their families. I am proud to say that they have [Interview with Satish Jain, Professor of HON. PHILIP M. CRANE Economics at Jawarharlal Nehru University, continually accomplished this noble mission, New Delhi.] with remarkable success, for over 75 years. OF ILLINOIS Many inside observers of Indian politics, On this date, I am also proud to celebrate IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES including the former President of India Zail the 14th anniversary of Chapter 1871 of the Monday, March 25, 1996 Singh, admitted that the highhanded meth- National Association of Retired Federal Em- ods of the security forces, instigated the sep- Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ployees. Chapter 1871 serves retired Federal aratist terrorism. recommend to my colleagues the video ``Dis- [Interview with Zail Singh.] workers in the 14th Congressional District of appearances in Punjab,'' which was provided HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE SIKH New York. This local chapter of NARFE has to my office by Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, presi- SEPARATIST UNREST been a tremendous help and an influential dent of the Council of Khalistan. Produced by Approximately twenty million Sikhs of voice to countless retired Federal employees Hindu human rights activist Ram Narayan India form less than 2 percent of the coun- in that district. In this Chamber today, I am Kumar and ethnologist Lorenz Skerjanz, ``Dis- try’s population, but constitute majority in very pleased to give Chapter 1871 special rec- appearances in Punjab'' tells the story of the agriculturally prosperous Northwestern ognition for all their dedicated work. province of Punjab, which had been divided Jaswant Singh Khalra, general secretary of NARFE remains as important today as it between India and Pakistan in 1947. Pros- the human rights wing, who has disappeared was 75 years ago. It is the only national orga- perous Jat Sikh farmers dominated the and has apparently been abducted by the In- nization that is solely dedicated to protecting Akali Dal, the main political party of the or- dian Government. thodox Sikhs, that launched the agitation the interests of Federal retirees and their de- Khalra reported the abduction, torture, and for the radical measure of autonomy for the pendents. There is an ongoing need to edu- murder of as many as 25,000 young Sikh men State in early 1982. Jarnail Singh cate the Government, the media, and the pub- whose bodies were then cremated and listed Bhindranwale, a charismatic religious lic on the true needs of Federal workers and as unidentified. Other human rights activists preacher, who had already emerged on the their benefits. NARFE has successfully ac- scene as the messiah of ‘‘true Sikhs’’, rallied have claimed that as many as 100,000 Sikhs complished each and every one of these es- the discontented sections of the Sikhs, par- have been designated as ``disappeared'' by sential tasks. ticularly the unemployed youth, to the the Indian regime. The Indian Government has Today, Mr. Speaker, in the year of its 75th Akali agitation. The Union government pro- faced many similar charges beforeÐincluding anniversary and on the date of the 14th anni- jected the agitation as a secessionist move- a February 25 article in the New York Times ment, and refused to negotiate decentraliza- versary of Chapter 1871, I am very pleased to which described the Government as ``rotten, tion of political power. The next two years of recognize the National Association of Retired corrupt, repressive, an anti-people''Ðbut this virulent violence, which also witnessed the Federal Employees for its many contributions video provides documented evidence of the rise of Sikh terrorism in the real sense, came to retired Federal workers and thereby to the to a head in June 1984 when Prime Minister brutal violence that Sikhs must face every day. Nation. I ask that my colleagues join with me Indira Gandhi ordered the military to flush I hope my colleagues will take the time to in this celebration by paying tribute to its many out Bhindranwale and his armed followers review the video, and I am inserting a tran- years of accomplishments and dedication to from the Golden Temple of Amritsar in script for the RECORD. The Sikhs have strug- serving retired Federal employees. which they had taken shelter. When the op- gled for independence and have been re- eration was over, hundreds of Sikh mili- f pressed by a central government. I support tants, including Bhindranwale, and a larger HONORING NORTH MIAMI CLEAN independence for Khalistan, and I believe that number of Sikh pilgrims, were dead. The Akal Takht, an important shrine inside the CITY WEEK after reviewing this video, my colleagues will as well. temple complex regarded as the seat of polit- ical authority within the Sikh historical tra- HON. CARRIE P. MEEK INTRODUCTION dition, was rubble. For devout Sikhs, On 31 August 1995, Punjab’s Chief Minister Bhindranwale and his followers, who had OF FLORIDA Beant Singh was assassinated in a suicide died fighting the Indian military, became IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES mission of bombing carried out by a Sikh the martyrs of the faith. A section of Monday, March 25, 1996 militant organization at the State govern- Bhindranwale’s followers now began to talk ment’s Secretariat in Chandigarh. Beant of an independent Sikh state. Mrs. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, from Singh of the Congress party has taken office The Parliamentary elections held at the April 27 to May 3, 1996, the city of North in early 1992 after winning the elections to end of 1989, returned many extremist can- Miami, under the leadership of Councilwoman the State Legislative Assembly, which the didates under the leadership of Simranjit

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