Chandigarh, 8 January, 2019 (Press Release): For taking up issues —- restoring the pristine status of Akal Takht, implementation of Panthik Rahit mariyada and preserving of the Sikh institutions –as raised in the Panthik Assembly held two months ago, the Sikh intellectuals and organizers of the Amritsar Panthik assemblage today decided to float a Panthik Confederation.
The Confederation shall be coalition of different groupings or blocks of Sikhs having different shades of opinion about religious, cultural, political and existential concerns and it shall provide a platform for evolving a consensual strategy and mechanism for protecting and promoting “ Sikh-way-of-life” in Indian majoritarian political dispensation.
Participants in the meeting observed that there was no political and religious formation for taking up the exclusive Sikh issues as Akalis of different denominations have turned the Sikh politics into a business enterprise and are pursuing naked ‘power politics’ for promoting their selfish and family interests.
A view of the Panthic Assembly gathering on first day (October 20, 2018) | File Photo Used for Representational Purpose only
It shall also strive to take up burning issues of Punjab concerning present agricultural crisis, unemployment of youths and deterioting condition of Dalits. A majority Punjabis are now feeling let down by the successive governments in Punjab.
Against such a scenario the Sikhs and Punjab are needed a platform where they could express their pain and concerns and launch struggles for the remedial measures.
The formal announcement of the Confedration and its future program will be made on 17 Jannuary in Chandigarh.
Today’s meeting formed a 11-member ‘core committee’ of the Confederation which included Jathedar Giani Kewal Singh, Jathedar Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, Gurtej Singh IAS, fomer Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Bir Devinder Singh, Institute of Sikh Studies President Gurpreet Singh, Pattarkar Jaspal Singh Sidhu, Bhai Harsimrat Singh, Jaswinder Singh Advocate, Navkiran Singh Advocvate, Kendri Singh Sabha General Secretary Khushhal Singh and Office Secretary Gurbachan Singh Des Punjab.