The British Panjabi Community (Sikh, Muslim, Hindu)
accounts for at least 70% of all Indians and Pakistanis resident in the UK.
Most of the Presidents and Prime Ministers in Pakistan have been from the
Punjab; whilst in the Indian Union, Punjab has produced Prime Minister Inder
Kumar Gujral and President Zail Singh, and the Green Revolution which ensures
self-sufficiency in food. Historically, it was the Punjab army that stopped the
world-wide conquest of Alexander the Great, and at a later stage put a stop to
1000 years of foreign invasions of the Indian sub-continent countries through
the Khyber Pass.
The British Panjabi Community of nearly 1.3 million
people has spread throughout the UK, and is now situated in almost every town
and city; whilst it has contributed to every aspect of British life with hard
work, business acumen and enterprise, it continues to face disadvantages in
various areas, for example
Sikh
Ethnic Group Monitoring Category and Asian Languages in next Census 2001
All
the leading political parties have given their support for a separate ethnic
group category of Sikh in the year 2001 Census, apart from the Labour Party
(although many Labour MPs and MEPs have given support), since ethnic group
categories are used for monitoring allocation of jobs, promotions, delivery of
services by government departments, etc. However, despite many requests to the
responsible Government Minister, the Government refuses to allocate a separate
ethnic group category of Sikh or gather data on Asian languages in the next
Census, although it is asking a question on Gaelic languages. We have said to
the Government that it is not sufficient to monitor Sikhs as a religious
category only in the next Census, but that Sikhs must also be monitored as a
separate ethnic group category, and the question should also cover Asian
languages.
Armed Forces - Racial Discrimination against
British Sikh Community
The
British Sikh Federation (BSF) has urged the Secretary of State for Defence to
bring an end to racial discrimination against the recruitment of British Sikhs
into the Armed Forces. British Sikhs should be allowed to serve whilst wearing
their Holy Turbans only, without any requirement to wear hard hats, as done
during both World Wars.
Memorials
throughout Europe and the rest of the world bear witness to Sikh and Punjabi
Regiments who gave up their lives to liberate and defend others, e.g. in
Europe there are war memorials to Sikh soldiers in Belgium, Cyprus,
Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Malta, Netherlands, Poland,
Romania, Switzerland, and the UK. During the World Wars we took part wearing
our Holy Turbans only on our heads, since the wearing of any kind of hat is
against the Sikh religion.
British
television and newspapers have shown British troops wearing cloth berets only
on active armed duty in conflict areas, where there was on-going fighting and
sniping, in Kosovo and Northern Ireland, e.g. on the following dates
Oct 98
: 18 Jan 99
: 30
March
99 : 25, 27, 30 April 99 :
12, 20
June
99 : 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15,
16, 17, 18,19, 20, 21, 22, 25,
July
99 : 3, 30, 31
Some
1.5 million Sikhs fought for this country during both World Wars wearing their
holy turbans only, with 83,000 giving up their lives whilst 110,000 were
wounded. Sikhs in the Indian Armed Forces have successfully fought in the
1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, as GOCs, Generals, Colonels, Brigadiers, Infantry,
Artillery, Pilots, Sailors, etc. Many Sikhs have been awarded Victoria Crosses
and other bravery medals for their intellect and bravery in battle during both
World Wars and subsequent wars, e.g. during the Indian wars with Pakistan and
China, mountains of Kashmir, Sri Lanka operations, Liberation of Bangladesh
under GOC Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora and General Shabeg Singh, the
Air Chief Marshall of India was Arjan Singh until his recent retirement, etc.
During
the British Empire days, 45% of all Indian sub-continent Army Officers and
soldiers were Sikhs.
In the
past, the Punjab Armed Forces, commanded by Sahib Kaur (female) defeated the
Maratha Army at the battle of Ambala on 15 March 1794, General Baghail Singh
captured Delhi in 1790 the Capital of the Indian Moghul Empire with an army of
40,000 Sikhs, King Ranjit Singh (ruler of the country of Punjab) easily
defeated the Gurkha Army of Nepal, General Hari Singh Nalwa defeated the armies
from Afghanistan, 1000 years of successive invasions from Afghanistan, Iran,
and Russia were stopped by blocking up the Khyber Pass with a ring of forts,
etc.
If
British troops wearing cloth berets can serve on active armed conflict duty,
then it should be possible to allow British Sikhs to serve whilst wearing their
turbans only. The Labour Government should stop its racial discrimination
against the 600,000 British Sikh Community.
Racial Discrimination against Asians in
Public bodies
Separate
targets should be set in place for the Asian communities (Sikh, Bangladeshi,
Indian, Pakistani), otherwise Asians will not get their fair share of jobs, and
the majority of jobs would be given to the black communities, e.g.
Black Jobs Asian
Jobs
Commission
for Racial Equality 44% 19%
Birmingham
City Council 8.5% (5.9%) 6.1% (13.5%)
Sandwell
Borough Council 6.6% (3.3%) 5.6% (10.8%)
Walsall
Borough Council 5.74% (1.32%) 2.17%
(7.90%)
Wolverhampton
Borough Council 6.44%
(5.21%) 5.87% (12.85%)
Merton
London Borough Council 9.6% (5.9%) 2.7% (8.1%)
Hammersmith
& Fulham London B.C 22.7% (8.2%) 3.6% (3.7%)
Corporation
of London 4.26% 0.8%
Waltham
Forest London B.C 19.2%
(11.45%) 7.34% (10.60%)
City
of Nottingham Council 6.3% (3.8%) 3.9% (3.4%)
Nottinghamshire
County Council 3.79% 1.67%
Figures
in brackets indicate population proportions from the 1991 Census; the job
figures were provided by the organisations themselves.
From
the above it can be seen that so many large public bodies practice racial
discrimination against the Asians, and even the Commission for Racial Equality
practices racial discrimination against Whites (who get only 31% of the jobs)
and Asians, since Asians are twice as large as Blacks on a population
proportion basis and have high educational achievement rates, e.g. those
studying for a first or higher degree in 1995 (19-24 age) gave Sikhs &
Indians: 29%, Black:12%, White : 13%, Pakistani/Bangladeshi:14%. The situation
in Wolverhampton Council alone shows that Asians are short of 700 jobs, on a
population proportion basis alone.
Statistics from Independent Sources
Government
Office for National Statistics for people living in Britain:
Pakistani – main language spoken – Punjabi: 48%,
Urdu: 24%, English: 22%
Indian – religion – Sikh: 51%, Hindu: 33%, Muslim:
6%, Christian: 5%
Hindi
is spoken by 2% of Indians living in the UK
Census 1991 populations in Great Britain
: Indian: 840,000
Pakistani:
477,000
Bangladeshi:
163,000
Chinese:
157,000
Other
Asian: 198,000
Government
Dept for Education and Employment letter dated 5 Nov 1999:
GCSE examinations in 1998 - Panjabi : 1,686 Hindi : 0 Gujarati : 1,147
A Level examinations in 1998 – Panjabi
: 262 Hindi
: 22 Gujarati : 0
Commission
for Racial Discrimination
The latest 1999 data from the Commission
for Racial equality states that Punjabi is the most commonly spoken language
among British Asians, which includes 95% of all Sikhs and 74% of all
Pakistanis.
BBC Radio Times article, 24-30 January
1998, religious figures in UK
Sikh 600,000
Hindu 500,000
Jew 300,000
Other religions 300,000
The BSF states that Punjabi is the 2nd
language in England, and is used by some 1.3 million people, by Indians and
Pakistanis living in the UK.
Visit the
BSF Internet Website www.british-sikh-fed.org.uk serving the
600,000 British Sikh Community, for more details on a wide range of activities.
You can also send us a direct email at: british.sikh.fed.@talk21.com
from anywhere in the world, or write to us at the address below
Kashmir
Singh LL.B, LL.M
0421-507055 5
March 2000
General
Secretary
For
further information please contact the following :-
1. Kashmir
Singh LL.B, LL.M 0421-507055
2. House
of Commons All Party Parliamentary Group on Panjabis in Britain
John McDonnell MP (Chairman) 0207-219-6908 /
0208-569-0160 / 0181-569-0010
John
Randall MP (Vice Chair)
Lord
Avebury (Vice Chair)
Martin
Salter MP (Secretary)
Jenny
Jones MP (Treasurer)
Iqbal
Singh (Researcher)
3. Sukhvinder
Singh B.Sc 0121-451-2227
/ 0973-439227 / 01922-448594
4. Kulwant
Singh Pawar Ph.D. 0115-951-4029
/ 01922-495714
5. Savraj
Singh Bains BA, MA 01902-773063
/ 0797-0647215