Fed up with dilly-dallying and lacklustre approach of Sikh bodies and political parties, Sikh activists have come together to convene a Panthic Assembly on 20-21 October 2018 in Amritsar of 117 members from Punjab and the Diaspora, aiming to charter a path of democratisation of Sikh polity, through a discourse of inclusiveness and collaboration, to resolve Panthic issues and seek a solution to the increasing sacrilege cases in the Punjab.

The proposed Panthic Assembly by a group of concerned individuals worried about the present state of affairs in the state of Punjab and amongst the Sikhs, is a concerted attempt to shape the destiny of the community by reinvigorating the Commonwealth of the Khalsa, wherein Sikh leaders of all hues and shades will come together and offer their opinion on issues confronting the Sikh peoples.  The Panthic Assembly will lay the foundations to nullify divisive tendencies in the social and political domain supported by the entrenched political parties and brings in a fresh air of inclusive politics.

This Panthic Assembly of 20-21 October 2018 in Amritsar, comprising 117 members, is an attempt to bring together the young and old, famous and not-so-famous activists and leaders from all walks of life –social, human rights, educational, legal, religious and political, from Punjab and the Diaspora.  

Today, in totality, the Panth has been sidelined. The Punjab Assembly and the “Mini-Parliament of the Sikhs” –the SGPC and its sister-body –DSGMC, have resorted to rhetoric and subterfuge, obfuscated facts and mislead the community. This Assembly, on the pattern of a Citizens Assembly, will make the Panthic voice of a cross-section of Sikhs –from political parties to political activists, from human rights activists to religious activists heard across the Sikh community.

“This Panthic Assembly of 20-21 October 2018 in Amritsar, comprising 117 members, is an attempt to bring together the young and old, famous and not-so-famous activists and leaders from all walks of life –social, human rights, educational, legal, religious and political, from Punjab and the Diaspora.“

The 117-member Panthic Assembly will not represent geographical constituencies of Punjab but will bring together a spectrum of Sikh opinion makers to give a new direction to Sikh polity.

As planned and proposed by the founders, this Panthic Assembly will be a trendsetter in setting up procedures and systems whereby issues can be addressed and resolved through dialogue, discussion and debate encompassing the worldview of Sikhs. It will be an endeavour to revive the historic methodology of the Sikhs to evolve a Gurmata –a considered consensus on substantive issues confronting the Sikh Nation.

The discourse and deliberations will be in the Panthic domain and not the political domain on the broad canvas of the interest of the Khalsa Panth.  Dialogue and not confrontation will be the tool of the Panthic Assembly. The whole thrust in this first Panthic Assembly of its kind, will be to evolve a methodology for solving the serious question of religious sacrilege incidents happening all across Punjab by the anti-Sikh network. These anti-Sikh organisations and individuals are from within and without the community, some with the clear and tacit support of the government, some with the complicity of the state forces and others who are yet to be identified.

Everybody who loves Punjab is worried about its future on all fronts.  Even a cursory analysis of religious and political developments in the land of Guru Nanak confirms that our established institutions have failed us. Leave alone conflict resolution at the larger level, we have failed to resolve our internal issues and have willy-nilly provided inroads to external forces for meddling in our affairs.

“The Panthic Assembly will discuss the Commission reports, identify the guilty responsible for sacrilege and police excesses and suggest social, political and legal actions to be taken up to ensure such sacrilege incidents are not repeated.“

The Barghari Morcha seeking justice for the killed and injured in October 2015, which has attracted thousands of commoners from all across the state of Punjab and outside, the reverberations of which have been felt in Haryana, Delhi and Hazur Sahib, Nanded, has overshadowed the fudging of the issue by the Congress party and the rhetorical rejection of the prime accused Badal Akali Dal.

Significantly, both are obfuscating the issue by reciting the rhetoric of “external forces out to destabilise Punjab”. The Akali Dal, led by Parkash Singh Badal and Sukhbir Singh Badal is responsible for allowing the sacrilege to happen and the killing of the innocent protesters whereas the Congress is going out all out to delay the judicial procedures against the allegedly guilty police and political figures.

The international presence of the community requires sound leaders well-versed in modern dialogue and negotiating skills. The Panthic Assembly must be seen as a step in that direction.  The Sikh voice on substantive world issues must be heard but for that to happen, the Sikh voice has to be identified and strengthened.

The need of the hour is selfless leaders who hold the love of the Panth in their heart and mind, who are wedded to Gurmat ideology and dedicated to uphold the interest of the community at all times at all levels, irrespective of whatever sacrifice is needed.

A considered analysis of the religious and political developments in Punjab leads to the understanding that our established religious and political institutions –namely the SGPC, DSGMC, Akal Takht Sahib and more have failed the Sikhs in providing leadership and resolving short-term and long overdue conflicts.

“For a very long time, activists and thinkers of the community have been yearning for democratisation of the Sikh polity and this Panthic Assembly may be seen as a beginning of that much-needed process.“

Those who should have accepted their mistakes are raising the bogey of “Panth in danger” and the dangerous slogan “Hindu-Sikh affinity endangered”.  Specifically, the ruling Congress party and their predecessors -the Shiromani Akali Dal has totally failed to respond to the Panthic Morcha at Barghari Kalan, started on June 1 for justice for the sacrilege incidents and its fallout at Kotkapura, Barghari and Behbal Kalan.

The Punjab government has released the Commission reports and enacted a scripted lame-duck session of the Punjab Assembly, without any follow-up action.  The Punjab government has afforded an escape route for the high-ranking accused police officials as well as the then political leadership. The state is playing games for impunity to police and political camaraderie.

The two official reports –official reports of the Justice Zora Singh Commission and the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission.  Since 1947, on Sikh issues –waters, land rights, organised and conspiratorial blasphemy against Sikhs, India’s Commissions have given anti-Sikh rulings and through administrative wrangles delayed decision-making and action rendering the whole exercise meaningless.

The Justice Markandey Katju Commission, formed by human rights group in Punjab has indicted the police officials for their actions and the political leadership for their complicity in the firing at Behbal Kalan.

The Panthic Assembly will discuss the Commission reports, identify the guilty responsible for sacrilege and police excesses and suggest social, political and legal actions to be taken up to ensure such sacrilege incidents are not repeated.

Very sadly, the incumbent of the temporal authority of the Sikhs –the Akal Takht Sahib and his companion Jathedars of other Takhts have also not lead the community from darkness to light. They have either toed the line of the party that controls the SGPC or have maintained a deafening silence on substantive issues, which has not only diluted their authority but has also resulted in Sikhs losing hope in justice from this exalted historic institution of the community.

For a very long time, activists and thinkers of the community have been yearning for democratisation of the Sikh polity and this Panthic Assembly may be seen as a beginning of that much-needed process.

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A Panthic team comprising Giani Kewal Singh, Simranjit Singh Mann, Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, Harpal Singh Cheema, Kanwarpal Singh, Jaswinder Singh Advocate, Navkiran Singh Advocate, Prof. Jagmohan Singh, Rana Inderjit Singh, Amarjit Singh Khadoor Sahib, Master Harbans Singh, Bibi Kulwant Kaur, Khushal Singh will form the organisational panel for selection of the 117 members, identification of the issue to be discussed and the format that the Panthic Assembly would follow. Former Jathedars, political leaders, civil and human rights activists, lawyers, social activists and others have confirmed participation in the Panthic Assembly.