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The ‘Sikh Raj’ of Maharaja Ranjit Singh came to an end after 50 years on 14th March 1849. From that day on the struggle to regain the Sikhs’ lost sovereignty, independence and political power began. At the awareness rally a sound system was used to deliver speeches in English and German to explain the significance of the timing of the event and highlight human rights atrocities committed against the Sikhs.
It was explained the new territory of the British Empire, was subject to treaties between the Sikhs and Britain, and the Sikh ‘homeland’ remained as an “annexed” territory and ‘not’ a part of India despite the British exit from India on the 15th of August 1947. The Sikhs have therefore ‘never’ been Indian nationals, as evident from the Indian Constitution 1950, Article 25. Sikhs’ elected representatives ‘rejected’ the Indian Constitution in its draft and final forms in the Indian Parliament in 1948 on the 26th of November 1949, 1950 and more recently on the 6th of September 1966.
Last year, during the 6th Session of the UN Human Rights Council and on 26th March 2007 Sikhs submitted a Memorandum detailing actions from the UN on the following:
* UN endorsed international Code of Practice on Sikh articles of faith and separate recognition of the Sikh ‘Qaum’
* Access to Panjab to Amnesty International and the UN Rapporteur on Torture
* UN-led inquiry into the anti-Sikh pogroms of November 1984
* UN action needed to expose false imprisonment and unfair trials of political prisoners in India
* UN demand that India cease its punitive treatment of political and human rights activists
* Independent investigation into the killing of 38 innocent Sikhs in Kashmir
* UN support for the right of Sikhs to peacefully campaign for the right to self determination and independence
Several Sikh delegations comprising around 30 Sikhs in total from UK, USA, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands held meetings with a number of Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts and their staff to take forward specific human rights issues. These included the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Defenders and Independent Expert for Minority Issues.
All three meetings proved extremely productive and the Sikhs were urged to maintain an ongoing dialogue with the Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts and their staff. In total ten Special Rapporteurs and Independent Experts were contacted by the Sikh Federation (UK), who took the lead in co-ordinating efforts. All the Special Rapporteurs and Independent Experts responded positively to work with Sikhs. In follow up meetings on Saturday 15 March Sikh representatives met and agreed to immediately set up a group of Sikh professionals from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, mainland Europe and Panjab to maintain an ever present and professional dialogue with the United Nations and develop relationships to further the Sikh cause.
Sikh representatives meeting Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts and their staff and the response to maintain and develop a working relationship between Sikhs and the United Nations is a significant move that will be seen as a step forward in the Sikhs struggle to regain their lost sovereignty, independence and political power.
This is a far cry from what has happened in the past when the activities of those attending the UN Human Rights Council and its predecessor have been limited in large to handing in a memorandum to security staff at the UN and participating in parallel events. This is the first time such meetings have taken place and the response from the Special Rapporteurs and Independent Experts to the issues raised and information supplied by Sikh representatives was one of surprise. It was also suggested that Sikh participation in parallel events that some have made so much of in the media have totally failed to register Sikh concerns with those that really matter in the UN.