British Sikh MP pleads for Golden Temple truth

UK 1984 Akal Takht

:dateline:Britain�s only Sikh lawmaker on Thursday told his fellow members of parliament that Sikhs wanted the full truth about London�s involvement in India�s 1984 Golden Temple assault.

However, Conservative MP Paul Uppal urged lawmakers to stop trying to �politicise the row over what happened 30 years ago on late Conservative prime �minister Margaret Thatcher�s watch.

Current Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron has ordered an �investigation by Britain�s most senior civil servant to establish the facts, �and has pledged to make the results public.
Newly declassified letters show New Delhi had requested British advice over �a plan to flush out militants who had occupied the Golden Temple in Amritsar, �northwest India � considered Sikhdom�s holiest shrine.
With Thatcher�s approval, a special forces officer travelled to India and �drew up a plan which was approved by India�s premier Indira Gandhi.
It is not known how close the February 1984 plan was to the eventual deadly �Operation Blue Star raid in June, which triggered a cycle of bloody revenge �attacks.
Uppal spoke out after opposition Labour MPs in parliament demanded a quick �inquiry and full disclosure of documents.
During exchanges in parliament�s lower chamber, the House of Commons, Uppal �said Sikhs wanted questions answered.
�As the only Sikh member of parliament in the House of Commons I would just �like to advise the chamber that as a Sikh who was 16 years old when the attack �on the Golden Temple happened is that 30 years after this event what Sikhs �actually want is the end of rumour, suspicion and speculation,� he said.
�What they all want is the truth and I would actually ask all MPs to stop �politicising this because it is absolutely much more important than that.�
The 2011 census found there were 420,200 Sikhs in England, or 0.8 percent �of the population.–AFP

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