Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
London, October 23: Sikh Federation UK has joined issues with British High Commissioner in Chandigarh Andrew Ayre saying his interview to a newspaper was based upon half-truths and offensive
The Sikh body accused him of behaving like “mouth-piece for the Indian state by trying to compromise Sikh organisations by telling untruths and lacking respect for confidentiality when meeting Sikh representatives.”
Sikh Federation also took strong note of his comments in the case of Jagtar Singh Johal, the 31-year-old Scot from Dumbarton “who has been tortured by police in an Indian jail and has been held without a proper trial for almost a year.”
Amrik Singh, Chair of Sikh Federation, said Andrew Ayre met with Sikh representatives from the Sikh Federation (UK), Sikh Network, Sikh Council UK, Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha, British Sikh Consultative Forum and City Sikhs at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London on 25 September during his trip to the UK.
He claimed all those who attended the London meeting have and can confirm there was no discussion whatsoever about a separate Sikh State, Referendum 2020 or the police raids on the homes of five Sikh activists as these issues were not on the agenda given the range of Sikh organisations invited.
Instead there was a lengthy discussion on the human rights situation in Punjab and across India.
Sikh Federation in the meeting also exposed the total and consistent failure of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to officially acknowledge the poor human rights situation in India in its annual human rights report.
Referendum 2020 was not discussed and had Andrew Ayre raised this “we would have reminded him that what is planned is a non-binding referendum that does not require the authority of the Indian state. For him to say in his interview there is no legal basis for Khalistan demonstrates his total lack of knowledge of history and international law.”
