Intervention and War in South Asia must be Averted!
Speech by the AIPSG representative at the Ghadri Mela in Toronto, Nov 16, 2008
It is my privilege to bring the greetings of my organization, the Association of Indian Progressive Study Groups, to the organizers, invited guests, artists and all the participants gathered in this festival to celebrate the revolutionary heritage of the people of South Asian origin resident in Canada and elsewhere.
It is an honor for my organization and myself to salute the deeds of Shahid Kartar Singh Sarabha whose 93rd anniversary of martyrdom is today and the deeds of the ghadri babas, our predecessors, who travelled on the path of struggle for dignity and rights of our immigrant forefathers and in support and defense of the rights and freedoms of their compatriots in South Asia. This celebration symbolizes that we are marching on the same path as they have marched, tackling the problems of our day as they tackled the problems of their day to open the path for society’s progress.
The problems of the day when the ghadri babas made their mark in the first decade of the 20th century was the anti-colonial struggle of the peoples of South Asia and the struggle against the racist policy of the Canadian state. The question in the first decade of the 21st century has emerged as how to avert the war that the big powers are preparing for in South Asia. As you all know, the American election campaign that just ended has articulated an agenda for South Asia – under the pretext of haunting for terrorists, the Americans plan to mobilize Canada and NATO and together want to strengthen their occupation of Afghanistan and enter Pakistan and the neighboring areas militarily. It is up to the people of the world and the people of South Asia in particular, irrespective of where they live, to stop this planned intervention and bring an end to the current occupation. It is for us to be in the forefront of creating public opinion against military intervention and occupation so that it does not occur; it is upto us to build and support the movement against war and war aims wherever we live.
Under the pretext of killing terrorists, already there is an occupation army in Afghanistan killing innocent people; already territory inside Pakistan is being bombed and innocent people are being killed. The secret agencies of the US and others are roaming all over South Asia under the pretext of capturing the terrorists. You all very well know that when these powers enter other countries, they do so for strategic aims as well as to put their hands on the resources and markets there. War will provide them the best opportunity to accomplish those aims. Only by relying on the strength of the peoples, this march to war can be blocked. History calls upon us to rise to that occasion and build the movement to stop the US and NATO intervention in South Asia.
Friends, the AIPSG, along with the Ghadar Heritage Foundation have decided to cosponsor a conference to be organized by the South Asia People’s Forum in Toronto in the near future to develop this movement. This conference will invite writers and artists, public personalities, scholars as well as people from all walks of life who stand against war and intervention in South Asia to present their proposals about what must be done. There is an urgent need to build a campaign to create public opinion against the impending war. Now is time to organize rallies and demonstrations against war in South Asia and create a powerful movement from Toronto to Lahore, Mumbai to Kathmandu, Colombo to New York and Dhaka to London to defeat the war aims of all the powers in South Asia.
India and other countries of South Asia have been building their military machines and linking their military with US and other military establishments for some time. A war of occupation and aggression from abroad can become the occasion for war amongst the countries of South Asia to settle old scores and pursue their own imperialist ambitions. We must raise the banner of opposition to all wars in South Asia immediately without forgetting that wars can be ended when the people of the region become masters of their own destiny – just as the ghadri babas, the martyrs like Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, the Naxalites and all the other fighters for rights have envisioned. The struggle for people to become decision-makers and organize the political power to serve their interests still remains the main struggle which the ghadri babas were part of. Support for that struggle being waged in the countries of South Asia through our own struggles for the same in countries where we live is the task of our day. Let us all unite and join this historic battle for social progress, affirmation of rights and world peace. Thank you!
full article...
It is my privilege to bring the greetings of my organization, the Association of Indian Progressive Study Groups, to the organizers, invited guests, artists and all the participants gathered in this festival to celebrate the revolutionary heritage of the people of South Asian origin resident in Canada and elsewhere.
It is an honor for my organization and myself to salute the deeds of Shahid Kartar Singh Sarabha whose 93rd anniversary of martyrdom is today and the deeds of the ghadri babas, our predecessors, who travelled on the path of struggle for dignity and rights of our immigrant forefathers and in support and defense of the rights and freedoms of their compatriots in South Asia. This celebration symbolizes that we are marching on the same path as they have marched, tackling the problems of our day as they tackled the problems of their day to open the path for society’s progress.
The problems of the day when the ghadri babas made their mark in the first decade of the 20th century was the anti-colonial struggle of the peoples of South Asia and the struggle against the racist policy of the Canadian state. The question in the first decade of the 21st century has emerged as how to avert the war that the big powers are preparing for in South Asia. As you all know, the American election campaign that just ended has articulated an agenda for South Asia – under the pretext of haunting for terrorists, the Americans plan to mobilize Canada and NATO and together want to strengthen their occupation of Afghanistan and enter Pakistan and the neighboring areas militarily. It is up to the people of the world and the people of South Asia in particular, irrespective of where they live, to stop this planned intervention and bring an end to the current occupation. It is for us to be in the forefront of creating public opinion against military intervention and occupation so that it does not occur; it is upto us to build and support the movement against war and war aims wherever we live.
Under the pretext of killing terrorists, already there is an occupation army in Afghanistan killing innocent people; already territory inside Pakistan is being bombed and innocent people are being killed. The secret agencies of the US and others are roaming all over South Asia under the pretext of capturing the terrorists. You all very well know that when these powers enter other countries, they do so for strategic aims as well as to put their hands on the resources and markets there. War will provide them the best opportunity to accomplish those aims. Only by relying on the strength of the peoples, this march to war can be blocked. History calls upon us to rise to that occasion and build the movement to stop the US and NATO intervention in South Asia.
Friends, the AIPSG, along with the Ghadar Heritage Foundation have decided to cosponsor a conference to be organized by the South Asia People’s Forum in Toronto in the near future to develop this movement. This conference will invite writers and artists, public personalities, scholars as well as people from all walks of life who stand against war and intervention in South Asia to present their proposals about what must be done. There is an urgent need to build a campaign to create public opinion against the impending war. Now is time to organize rallies and demonstrations against war in South Asia and create a powerful movement from Toronto to Lahore, Mumbai to Kathmandu, Colombo to New York and Dhaka to London to defeat the war aims of all the powers in South Asia.
India and other countries of South Asia have been building their military machines and linking their military with US and other military establishments for some time. A war of occupation and aggression from abroad can become the occasion for war amongst the countries of South Asia to settle old scores and pursue their own imperialist ambitions. We must raise the banner of opposition to all wars in South Asia immediately without forgetting that wars can be ended when the people of the region become masters of their own destiny – just as the ghadri babas, the martyrs like Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, the Naxalites and all the other fighters for rights have envisioned. The struggle for people to become decision-makers and organize the political power to serve their interests still remains the main struggle which the ghadri babas were part of. Support for that struggle being waged in the countries of South Asia through our own struggles for the same in countries where we live is the task of our day. Let us all unite and join this historic battle for social progress, affirmation of rights and world peace. Thank you!
full article...
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