OP/ED: Sarbat Khalsa & The Individual

I wanted to share with many youth who watched the Sarbat Khalsa proceedings some thoughts that I had from my perspective which will obviously be limited and flawed, but that is why they are mine and not everyone’s.

Before going any further, I would like to say it was an absolute heart-warming experience to see a Sarbat Khalsa occur in these circumstances.  Regardless of my personal opinions as one individual in a panth of tens of millions, I am happy to have witnessed it.  We are a nation that is trying to assert its sovereignty and shake off the chains of slavery.  Our proceedings, actions and even behaviors need to be taken in this context.

My brother Bhai Santbir Singh has written a beautiful piece on how to perceive much of what occurred at this Sarbat Khalsa from a Sikh lens and I urge everyone to give it a read: OP/ED: After Sarbat Khalsa, Now What?

I have many things that hurt me deeply as I watched how the people were controlled and their words were limited…and not by their own choosing.  The proceedings were very chaotic and lengthy as you yourselves could see.  You may ask questions as to why 100 speakers were brought to the stage and many of them didn’t have anything substantial to say?  There is a practice of acknowledgement that goes hand in hand with setting up an event of this magnitude and size.  Recognition of those in attendance who have brought their organizations, institutions, pinds (villages) etc. was actually a way to show the congregation the sheer size and scope of the Guru Panth and how many had arrived to bow their heads to the will of Sarbat Khalsa.  Many will see it as an ego-trip, I will stick to my definition of it and keep this portion positive.

 
Another common complaint from yesterday was the stage secretaries and their inability to relay the seriousness of the situation. To some degree I would agree because if somebody were to go through the entire proceeding, my guess would be that the 2 stage secretaries possibly spent 60% of the time addressing the sangat themselves. This is a small issue and it exists within every Gurdwara and organization we see in the west as well since many of us (including me) love the sounds of our own voice. Hundreds of thousands of Sikhs had come together to show collective will, I would think there would be some issues like this as we are still evolving as a nation. Sarbat Khalsa in its true sense hasn’t been called in almost 3 decades and the immediacy of the situation was such that it had to be called immediately for the Guru Panth to take action. We have time before the next one to come up with procedures and administration that will improve the process and for anyone who wanted to institute this for November 10, 2015 there were 29 years to accomplish this from the last Sarbat Khalsa—sometimes you have to go with what the situation has provided you.
 
Sarbat Khalsa 2015
The BIGGEST ISSUE for me and many others was the almost complete ban on the term Khalistan and the stage being controlled by known anti-panthik forces. Khalistan for many of us is the only solution to our issues within the Indian state and many of the resolutions that were passed (elaborated on below) will in reality require the establishment of a sovereign Khalistan for them to come into effect. Khalistan was mentioned 3 times in the entire proceeding. Bhai Balvinder Singh Rode barely got the word out of his mouth before the stage secretaries tried to grab the mic. Bhai Joga Singh Nihang mentioned that “it was time to make Khalistan” and he was quickly ushered off stage. The worst was what occurred with Bhai Papalpreet Singh who was on stage delivering an address to the sangat from Sikh intellectual, writer and jhujaru (resistance fighter) Bhai Narain Singh Chaura who is currently imprisoned. Stage Secretary and Convener Mokham Singh stood up and began reading the letter that Bhai Papalpreet Singh was reading from and after a quick few words they tried to usher him off stage. Bhai Papalpreet Singh saved the moment by saying he would read the last line and that would be samaptee. The last line of the letter was “Khalsa jee, the only solution to the constant and ongoing problems within the Indian state is the establishment of Khalistan.” The way speakers were being controlled begs the question as to who were those on the stage that had control. I will only mention a few, but from that caliber it will be clear as to what was going on.

Mokham Singh is a former leader within Damdami Taksal and was actually the stage secretary from the Sarbat Khalsa in 1986 at the declaration of Khalistan. Since that time Mokham Singh has become a tainted individual in the eyes of all panth-dardee Sikhs. He is reported to have been involved in giving a siropa to KP Gill at one point and he was a known associate of government agencies during the freedom movement and has over the years cozied up to many different politicians—his image is completely tarnished. Many had made requests to Simranjeet Singh Mann before the Sarbat Khalsa to not allow Mokham Singh to control the stage or be involved in its handling. Midway through the Sarbat Khalsa it was clear that it was in fact Mokham Singh who was in charge.

Wassan Singh Zaffarwal was selected to the Panthik Committee chosen at the last Sarbat Khalsa to lead the Khalsa panth to Khalistan. There were 5 members on that committee and 3 of them were shaheeds in the Khalistan movement while 1 had to flee Punjab and settle abroad. Wassan Singh Zaffarwal came back to Punjab with his hands in the air. This individual was probably the most outspoken and was known to take responsibility for any action that occurred in Punjab. He had countless charges against him yet when he returned to Punjab, he was arrested and subsequently placed under house arrest and then left free to wander around. He has had no stand on any panthik issue in the last 10 years and him reading out Gurmattas from the stage was also problematic for many of us.

Finally, this is just my opinion on the resolutions that were presented yesterday before the collective in the roop of Sarbat Khalsa (the order may be off). My views mean nothing at the end of the day but I sometimes get the feeling that many of us in the west are so disconnected from Punjab and our sisters/brothers there that some of us who are a little more connected should try and break things down a bit further. It is my hope that those who are even more connected than me will provide their analysis and views for us to learn from as well.

ਅਮ੍ਰਿਤਸਰ ਨਜ਼ਦੀਕ ਪਿੰਡ ਚੱਬਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਰਬੱਤ ਖਾਲਸਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਲੱਖਾਂ ਦੀ ਗਿਣਤੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਇੱਕਤਰ ਹੋਈ ਸੰਗਤ ਦੀ ਹਾਜ਼ਰੀ ਵਿੱਚ 13 ਮਤੇ ਪਾਸ ਕੀਤੇ ਗਏ ਹਨ ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ
(In the Village of Chabba near the city of Amritsar, sangat in the 100s of thousands turned up for the Sarbat Khalsa and approved 13 Resolutions):

1-ਮੌਜੂਦਾ ਤਖਤਾਂ ਦੇ ਪੰਜਾਂ ਤਖਤਾਂ ਦੇ ਜਥੇਦਾਰਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਲਾਂਭੇ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ। ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ ਤਖਤ ਦੇ ਜਥੇਦਾਰ ਜਗਤਾਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਹਵਾਰਾ ਨੂੰ ਬਣਾਇਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਕਾਰਜਕਾਰੀ ਜਥੇਦਾਰ ਧਿਆਨ ਸਿੰਘ ਮੰਡ ਨੂੰ ਲਾਇਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
ਅਮਰੀਕ ਸਿੰਘ ਅਜਨਾਲਾ ਤਖਤ ਕੇਸਗੜ੍ਹ ਅਤੇ ਬਲਜੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਦਾਦੂਦਾਲ ਨੂੰ ਦਮਦਮਾ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਦਾ ਜਥੇਦਾਰ ਲਾਇਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
(The current Jathedars of all 5 Takhts are to be removed immediately. Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara is to be Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib and in his absence Bhai Dhian Singh Mand will be acting Jathedar. Bhai Amrik Singh Ajnala is named Jathedar of Takht Kesgarh Sahib and Bhai Baljit Singh Daduwal is named Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib)

This was a necessity that was going to be carried out during this Sarbat Khalsa. Removal of the Jathedars is a very significant statement as it shows the power of the Sarbat Khalsa as supreme over the power of the SGPC, Gurdwara Act or Badal’s political affiliations.

This is an interesting one as to how it was done. Minutes before the resolutions were to be read, Mokham Singh announces and gets approval for Bhai Dhian Singh Mand to resign from Shiromani Akali Dal Amritsar (Mann) and most of us are still confused of why a Sarbat Khalsa would have to approve the resignation of a politician from a political party? Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara was declared Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib and mostly everyone in the Panthik world is happy with this, but then Bhai Dhian Singh Mand was declared the interim Jathedar in Bhai Hawara’s absence. I am not getting into Bhai Mand’s personal life (his brothers are shaheeds, nephew is a shaheed, he was involved in the freedom struggle, he was elected as a MP in 1989, has been working in Panthik circles since the late 1970s, etc.) because everyone has stories about everyone so I am just stating what has happened to his family and what he has been doing in the public eye. The real problem was how it was done and why Shiromani Akali Dal Amritsar (Mann) would think it would be ok for one of their senior leaders to become Jathedar of the Akal Takht when they are the primary conveners of the Sarbat Khalsa. Whether it was intended or not, it is coming across as underhanded and that is the perception that most people walked away with.

For those who are wondering about Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara and being a Jathedar from jail. Bhai Ranjit Singh went to jail for the assassination of Gurbachana Narakdhari and was made Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib while in jail. I am aware of the circumstances and relationships that SGPC (Tohra) had with Bhai Ranjit Singh pre and post 1984 etc. The fact of the matter is that this has happened before and if we want this to be successful this time, then it can be. Allegiance to Akal Takht Sahib’s sidhant is key and then ensuring that decisions taken by the Jathedars are received by Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara in prison before they are finalized. There are Singhs that meet with Bhai Hawara regularly and it would be a matter of setting up 1 or 5 Sikhs to ensure that Bhai Hawara’s decisions are relayed to the interim Jathedar and Bhai Mand’s role should be to promote Bhai Hawara as the real Jathedar at every step and do his seva from the post he has been allotted for the time being. We don’t have a job description for a Jathedar and nor should we get into this type of practice as many times it will be the need of the time that will determine what type of Jathedar is needed for the position. What we should look at establishing is committees around the post of Jathedar Akal Takht Sahib as advisers on specific subjects (academia, politics, social welfare, gender issues, caste issues, dharmik issues, etc.). Rather than rely on the Jathedar Akal Takht Sahib to be able to provide a detailed response to each of these issues we should surround the post of Jathedar with learned individuals that can assist in decision making based ultimately on Gurmat sidhant. This can only be done via strong voices in the sangat, but unfortunately most voices are either silenced or silence themselves not too far into the sangharsh. This model is optimistic but not out of the realm of possibility.

For those who say that “we may have crippled ourselves by naming a Jathedar who is in prison” I say you are the ones Sant Jarnail Singh referred to as “jena dee jameer marre hoye ae.” Its not that it was Hawara or Rajoana issue, the issue to the people saying this sort of thing is how will they ever explain it to the world (for them this is the western world they are trying to promote a diluted version of Sikhi within) that the Jathedar is responsible for the assassination of a Chief Minister of Punjab. If these people surface and start kinthoo parnthoo on a Sikh in jail becoming Jathedar ohna nu moo thorr javab den da vakht vee aa gaya hai.

Baljit Singh Daduwal is not fit to be a Jathedar of any Takht sahiban. He is there now and shouldn’t remain long is my opinion based on his continued connection with the Badal family and cults like the Radhasoamis. Bottom line is that he is untrustworthy for such a post as we will never know whose pocket he is in from week to week.

In all honesty, I personally would have loved to have seen Bibi Pritam Kaur named a Takht Jathedar for her tremendous seva pre-1984, during the Battle of Amritsar and her continued service to the Panth up to the present day. I don’t think we could have had a more fitting SIKH become a Jathedar than Bibi Pritam Kaur. I will personally be pushing for her to be replacing Baljit Singh Daduwal immediately if not by the next Sarbat Khalsa. Bibi Ji speaks about Shaheeds, najarband Singhs, Sangharsh and all Panthik matters as a Jathedar should.

2-ਕੇ ਪੀ ਐਸ ਗਿੱਲ ਅਤੇ ਕੇ ਐਸ ਬਰਾੜ ਨੂੰ ਤਨਖਾਹੀਆ ਕਰਾਰ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਨਵੰਬਰ 20 ਤੱਕ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ ਤਖਤ ਤੇ ਪੇਸ਼ ਹੋ ਕੇ ਸਪਸ਼ਟੀਕਰਨ ਮੰਗਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
(KP Gill and Kuldip Brar are declared excommunicated and they have until November 30, 2015 to explain themselves to the Akal Takht)

I have no problem saying this should never have been a resolution. KP Gill and Kuldip Brar should not be given the opportunity to explain to us why they are responsible for the systematic rape, torture and murder of an entire generation of Sikhs.

I will say it again as I always do, I may be too afraid and weak to do it myself, but I know there are brothers and sisters out there who wouldn’t bat an eye at taking care of them. My weakness is not the Panth’s weakness and is in no way a reflection of the Guru’s sidhant and instruction to their Sikhs. Just because a moorakh like me can’t do it based on my own weaknesses doesn’t mean what I am saying can be dismissed as its foundation is based on Sikh principle.

3-ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ ਤਖਤ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਦੀ ਸਰਵਉਚਤਾ ਅਤੇ ਪ੍ਰਭੂਸਤਾ ਨੂੰ ਬਣਾਈ ਰੱਖਣ ਲਈ ਦੇਸ਼ ਵਿਦੇਸ਼ ਦੇ ਸਿੱਖਾਂ ਦੀ ਰਾਇ ਨਾਲ ਗੰਭੀਰ ਯਤਨ ਕੀਤੇ ਜਾਣ।
(Akal Takht Sahib should remain free from all levels of control and to accomplish this the suggestions of Sikhs all across the world should be taken in it future administration)

The independent functioning of the Akal Takht is on everyone’s mind. We must ask some very real questions though. We have just declared Jathedars of Takhts in Punjab and I am sure we don’t really have a plan to occupy them. This is completely fine as we are a nation moving out of slavery and cannot be expected to have systematic processes and procedures in place for every potential direction we choose. A lot of it will be in the moment and we have to be ready for that. The SGPC falls under the Gurdwara Act (1925) and as I have mentioned before and many of you already know, any changes to this act must be approved in the central government of India with a 2/3 majority vote. We have no political power in Punjab (13 seats) let alone the central government of India (543 seats). So one must automatically assume that in order to enact changes to the system in the immediate sense we will have to work outside Indian Law (which we as a sovereign nation shouldn’t recognize anyways but that’s another powder keg for another time). If we work outside the law we will have to clash with both the Indian State agencies (CRPF, BSF, Army, etc.), Punjab State agencies (Punjab Police), and Sikh “agencies” like the SGPC (SGPC Task Force). This clash will obviously be heated and lead to physical confrontation which can and likely will lead to physical harm or even loss of life. To free our Takhts beyond just saying the words, are we ready for this and if you say yes, then you say yes to all the potential circumstances above. We don’t want it to happen this way, but fully recognize that it could happen and it is a necessity of the times. Finally, the clashes can grow to the point of Army detachments being brought in and all leadership including Takht Jathedars being imprisoned—then what?

The reason I have taken in to this point is that at what point are we going to understand that we WILL NOT be able to free anything in the long-term without a sovereign nation Khalistan. All these problems only have one solution because what we are relying on is the Indian system to give us a handout and actually have our best interests at heart. Nothing on our part could be more foolish. I 100% agree with this Gurmatta and based on what I have written above, I recognize the challenges my people in Punjab will face in adopting it and will ultimately have to establish a sovereign Khalistan to ensure its long-term success. Guru ang sang hove.

4-ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਪ੍ਰਕਾਸ਼ ਸਿੰਘ ਬਾਦਲ ਤੋਂ ਤੋਂ ਫਖਰੇ ਕੌਮ, ਪੰਥ ਰਤਨ ਵਾਪਿਸ ਲਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਅਵਤਾਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਮੱਕੜ ਤੋਂ ਸ਼ਰੋਮਣੀ ਸੇਵਕ ਦਾ ਐਵਾਰਡ ਵਾਪਿਸ ਲਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
(The title of Fakkr-e-Quam and Panth Rattan are hereby taken back from Parkash Badal and the title of Shiromani Sevak is taken back from Avtar Makkar)

The reneging of the titles of honor from both Parkash Badal (Shiromani Akali Dal Badal) and Avtar Makkar (Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee) were necessary and a welcomed move within the Sarbat Khalsa gathering. Both these individuals have severely damaged Sikh institutions over the last decade and a half. Their constant meddling in the decision making of the Akal Takht, very open connections to cult-type Deras/RSS/BJP and misuse of funds from our Gur-ashtans is more than enough reason for both these individuals to be declared ਤਨਖਾਹੀਆ (excommunicated), but as a baby-step, the removal of the titles of honor is an acceptable step in the eyes of Sikh sangat and real thought should be given to declaring them ਤਨਖਾਹੀਆ (excommunicated) in April 2016.

5-ਵਰਲਡ ਸਿੱਖ ਪਾਰਲੀਮੈਂਟ ਦਾ ਗਠਨ ਕਰਨ ਦਾ ਐਲਾਨ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਇਸ ਲਈ 30 ਨਵੰਬਰ ਤੱਕ ਖਰੜੇ ਸਬੰਧੀ ਸਾਂਝੀ ਕਮੇਟੀ ਦਾ ਐਲਾਨ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾਵੇਗਾ।
(A World Sikh Parliament be made and by November 30, 2015 a working committee be established to further this Gurmatta)

A World Sikh Parliament is an interesting concept that has been discussed at multiple levels and tables over the last few decades. Purpose will be key to this body of representatives as to who they will represent, at what tables and what issues. If this is being made to lobby the Indian government to give us justice by pandering/begging them then burn the idea of it out of your minds before it even starts. If it is a body that functions through the Akal Takht as a sovereign and is aligned to Sikhs across the world and will take up Sikh issues with Governments all across the world (Khalistan can be a part of this as well) then it could be an approach that would centralize much of the authority of Sikh affairs back to the Akal Takht.

The Akal Takht through the World Sikh Parliament could also take established organizations in the west to be its extensions in matters of civil rights, human rights, self determination (Khalistan) etc. but would ultimately be able to give them firm direction as well. This would be a way to consolidate many organizations across the world all working in separate areas as parallel movements and being connected to 1 movement coming from Akal Takht Sahib and acting as its branches in every field. This is one of the Gurmattas that people could make a mockery of, but often you find that there are those who are willing to work and establish something and those who will tear it down before it even starts. It will be up to us what we make out of this resolution.

6-ਸਮੂਹ ਸਗਤਾਂ, ਗੰਰਥੀ ਸਿੰਘਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਕਮੇਟੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਦੀ ਬੇਅਦਬੀ ਲਈ ਸੁਚੇਤ ਰਹਿਣ ਦਾ ਸੱਦਾ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਬੇਅਦਬੀ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਸਿਖੀ ਰਵਾਇਤਾਂ ਮੁਤਾਬਿਕ ਸਜ਼ਾਵਾਂ ਦੇਣ ਦਾ ਐਲਾਨ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
(All Sikh sangats, granthi singhs and Gurdwara committees are reminded to remain alert to possible beadbi of Guru Granth Sahib ji and are ordained to carry out the punishment of the individual committing the beadbi swiftly and according to Sikh traditions)

This resolution was left open and rightfully so. We watched beadbi occur over a dozen times in a matter of weeks from October 12, 2015 onwards and the question on many of our minds was “where is the pehra in our Gurdwara Sahibs?” We also have issues with mass printing and selling of Guru Sahib saroops, gutke, potheeya, etc. but for multiple incidents to take place in a Gurdwara Sahib or for the Guru Granth Sahib to be stolen and then either ripped apart, burned or buried is a cause for all of us to re-think who is controlling Gurdwaras and what maryadas are being instituted. Even 1 shastardharee Sikh in a Gurdwara Darbar would be enough of a deterrent for most of these cases. Either there is no Shastardharee Sikh in the Gurdwara Darbar (a problem in itself) or there is and they are not willing to engage the culprits (in which case they might as well not be there).

The resolution gives the order to Sikhs to punish the culprits committing beadbi on the spot according to Sikh traditions. Do we need an order to do this or should we have been doing this all along? Well, since we really haven’t been doing it and the SGPC/Jathedar Akal Takht have been silent and inactive on the issue, then a resolution is a good way to reaffirm our commitment in a public gathering of Sarbat Khalsa. There is a wide scope here and the sangat now has been given the order to act according to their own budhee in-line with Gurmat sidhant and in that spectrum we will have people being handed over to police, beaten publicly and possibly even shot to death in jail cells after admitting to committing beadbi and stating that they will do it again (Bhai Mandeep Singh Kubbe).

7-ਸਰਕਾਰ ਨੂੰ ਤਾਕੀਦ ਕੀਤੀ ਜਾਂਦੀ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਸਜ਼ਾ ਪੂਰੀ ਕਰ ਚੁੱਕੇ ਸਾਰੇ ਸਿੱਖ ਕੈਦੀ ਜੇਲ੍ਹਾਂ ਵਿੱਚੋਂ ਰਿਹਾਅ ਕੀਤੇ ਜਾਣ, ਸੂਰਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਖਾਲਸਾ ਦਾ ਜੇਕਰ ਕੋਈ ਨੁਕਸਾਨ ਹੋਇਆ ਤਾਂ ਇਸ ਦੇ ਜ਼ਿੰਮੇਵਾਰੀ ਸਰਕਾਰਾਂ ਦੀ ਹੋਵੇਗੀ
(The Government should release all Sikh Political prisoners who have completed their sentence and if anything happens to Bapu Surat Singh, who is on a hunger strike for their release, the Indian state will be deemed responsible)

In showing solidarity with Bapu Surat Singh and the sangharsh he started, this resolution was definitely needed and its acknowledgement in Sarbat Khalsa was also needed. Beyond the statement there will obviously be much work to be done and we will have to wait and see what approach is taken. Every Sikh prisoner is a staunch supporter of Khalistan and they will never compromise their stand to get out of jail. We should not be making statements or engaging in activity that comes across as begging to get them out of jail either. The anakh of those in prison is far stronger than many of us who are sitting in the west and trying to dictate morche from the comfort of our offices and living rooms.

This Gurmatta should remain our demand and as a sovereign people it may take the establishment of a sovereign Khalistan to ensure the release of prisoners or it may never happen. Take this whichever way you would like, EVERY one of those prisoners is in jail for battling the sarkar through armed struggle and for the establishment of Khalistan and how many of us are turning them into humanitarian charity cases rather than the warriors of the panth that they are and actually working on the very mission (Khalistan) that they went to prison for?

8-ਸ਼ਰੋਮਣੀ ਗੁਰਦਵਾਰਾ ਕਮੇਟੀ ਦੀ ਨਵੀਂ ਚੋਣ ਕਰਵਾਕੇ ਜਮਹੂਰੀਅਤ ਬਹਾਲ ਕਰਵਾਓਣ ਦਾ ਸੱਦਾ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
(The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee should be reformatted with a democratic election process and calls for suggestions are given to the sangat)

For this I revert to my comments on Resolution #4 as the exact same situation and circumstances will apply. Legally our hands will be tied within the system that has been created to hold us down…if we move outside the law then a lot can happen and hardships will come with it as well.

9-(All Sikh sangat is requested to not get caught up in issues that divide the Panth and concentrate on the common threats to the Panth)

It is a simple request in the form of a resolution really, but its importance actually is in the fact that we get sidetracked all too often with every morcha that we carry out. Every morcha in the last 5-7 years has ended with a sense of loss and what do we do now? I firmly believe that whether we are trying to stay someones hanging, have political prisoners released or keep satkar of Guru sahib we will only truly be able to do so with a sovereign Khalistan. I mention this throughout this entire write up and I have to as it always comes back to the need of the moment versus what is needed to sustain us long term. All the issues mentioned above can be taken care of via a Khalistan and none of them have even come close to being addressed without it. We constantly are going from court to court within India and government to government outside of India because our short term issues are not being dealt with in a fair and decent manner within India. There is a system of madness here which many don’t want to acknowledge because the very mention of Khalistan or sovereignty is alien to them and possibly even illegitimate in their eyes.

When we are away from the constant meddling of Delhi in our internal affairs we will finally have the opportunity to sit in a safe place and have real discourse and an independent system via the Akal Takht to deliberate and come to agreements. Until then we are under systems like the SGPC and Gurdwara Act which through elections are controlled by Badal and who indirectly then control the Akal Takht and our decision making.

10-ਸਿੱਖਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਵੱਖਰੇ ਸਰਵ ਪ੍ਰਵਾਨਿਤ ਕੈਲੰਡਰ ਦੀ ਲੋੜ ਹੈ।
(The Sikh Panth requires a calendar based on its own principles)

Personally, I was hoping all resolutions at this Sarbat Khalsa would stay away from issues that will further divide the Sikh sangats across the world. I can see how this resolution is being brought forward to bring all Sikhs together on one platform so Gurpurabs and other occasions can be held simultaneously throughout the world and a show of strength can be delivered in those moments as well. The unfortunate thing is that we don’t really have a lot of valuable dialogue that goes on in regards to these issues that divide us. Before the social media age it would be various samparadas and their parcharaks going to stages all over the world and giving their version of what they thought was correct. Now there is a “vidhvaan” in every home and even our grandparents know how to use YouTube.

These issues are growing exponentially as there is no centralized way in dealing with them. A well-functioning Akal Takht would be able to facilitate dialogue and mediate between parties before issuing a Hukam. Both sides would feel heard and more times than not people would bow down to the need of the moment (ekta) and put the issue on the backburner. Unfortunately either the Akal Takht Jathedar post has been completely missing from these issues or has taken it upon themselves to issue Hukams that are completely baseless and could even be considered anti-Panthik (as can be seen with the recent pardon given to Ram Rahim of Dera “Sacha” Sauda).

While I have nothing against this resolution if it is carried through in a responsible way, I am personally apprehensive as it may cause more damage than good in the short term where ekta is key to taking on both Badal and Hindutva Delhi.

11-ਹਰਮੰਦਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਨੂੰ ਵੈਟੀਕਨ ਸਿਟੀ ਦਾ ਦਰਜਾ ਮਿਲੇ ਅਤੇ ਦਰਬਾਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਸਮੂਹ ਵਿੱਚ ਕਿਸੇ ਵੀ ਮੁਲਕ ਦਾ ਕਾਨੂੰਨ ਲਾਗੂ ਨਾ ਹੋਵੇ।
(Harimandir Sahib should be granted “Vatican City Status” and the entire Darbar Sahib complex should be sovereign and free from the laws and legislations of any nation)

Harimandir Sahib/Akal Takht being given Vatican City status to me is a great concept as Vatican City in Rome, Italy is recognized as an independent state (which I fully support for Harimandir Sahib/Akal Takht) both by area and population. The rule of Vatican City is somewhat sacerdotal (a state whose head of state is designated by a religious body) and likely the same could be put in place for Harimandir Sahib/Akal Takht. Freeing both institutions from the constant meddling of Delhi in their affairs much easier said than done, but this step is in the right direction. If this is asking for Amritsar to be declared a holy city then personally I am not in favor as we dropped the Anandpur Sahib resolution and its demands in 1984 for the demand of nationhood and Khalistan.

To me, many of these resolutions are pushing us towards direct confrontation with the state which I personally believe is the only way for many Sikhs to actually understand that they are slaves. Many of us as individuals and organizations have spent years in various crowds trying to make people understand this slavery to whatever ability we ourselves understand it, but there will always be those who unless they are personally affected in some way will never understand that they are slaves without even knowing it. If these are merely words on paper read out to the people I could agree that it is lip service, but it is the people who decide. It has been the people deciding on the streets during the beadbi issue as to who would even be allowed to sit with them. Our hope is not in any one leader or group, but rather in the collective of the Sikh nation that congregated as the Sarbat Khalsa. To achieve this resolution I personally believe it will take the might of the entire Sikh nation with establishment of Khalistan to make it come true…whether a “Vatican City Status” is needed at that point will remain to be seen.

12-ਇੱਕਠ 26 ਜਨਵਰੀ 1986 ਨੂੰ ਹੋਏ ਸਰਬਤ ਖਾਲਸਾ ਦੇ ਮਤਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਸਹਿਮਤੀ ਦਿੰਦਾ ਹੈ।
(All resolutions approved at the Sarbat Khalsa of January 26, 1986 are acknowledged and approved)

This is an acknowledgement of the resolutions passed in 1986. The unfortunate thing is that the mention of Khalistan was missing and further, Khalistan was missing from the entire stage aside from a few individuals who managed to sneak it in. It is disappointing that we are unable to openly discuss our own sovereignty in an ikath like Sarbat Khalsa. With someone like Mokham Singh looking over the shoulders of Papalpreet Singh as he was reading Bhai Narain Singh Chaura’s address to the panth, it was clear that every speaker was being silenced on the issue by certain people who had complete control over the stage. The issue is not that all the actions in Sarbat Khalsa “pointed at” or “hinted at” Khalistan, the issue is WHY wasn’t it said?

The mere mention of Khalistan is what state agencies were trying to ensure wasn’t done and to a large degree they succeeded and the RSS/BJP/Shiv Sena and Hindutva forces were giving the Khalsa Panth “warnings” not to say Khalistan. Mentioning Khalistan openly and often would have been a positive step in recognizing and reaffirming its legitimacy in the panth which has been lost for almost 2 decades since the freedom struggle came down. By not mentioning it we are playing further into the narrative that Khalistan is a tainted term and needs to be avoided. It is our term and we must redefine it and the only way that can happen is if we use it openly and often. We chose this word in 1986 and it is our duty to reclaim it. I often equate propaganda with the Khalistan term (especially to those who want to drop it for other names these days) with potential propaganda with the term Punjab in the future. If for 5-10 years Indian propaganda was successful in convincing the world that Punjab is a land of daughter killers, drug addicts and alcoholics would we drop he term Punjab as well? Would we fight for it because it is ours and deeply connected with a sense of who we are, the land we come from and the language we speak? Especially post 1984, I equate Khalistan with tens of thousands of inspirational shaheeds, the aspirations of an entire nation of people and a bright future for Sikhi to flourish. For that alone I would urge you to fight for this term Khalistan and reclaim it from those who have tainted it.

13-ਜਾਤਾਂ ਤੇ ਅਧਾਰਿਤ ਗੁਰਦਵਾਰੇ ਅਤੇ ਸ਼ਮਸ਼ਾਨਘਾਟ ਖਤਮ ਕਰਨ ਦੇ ਯਤਨ ਕੀਤੇ ਜਾਣ
(Work towards shutting down Gurdwaras based on caste or places of worship being erected at graveyards)

From a dharmik and samajhik perspective this resolution is obviously completely in line with Gurmat. If there is a working committee made on an issue like this and works on caste based issues across Punjab and the Jathedars of the Takhts themselves are on the ground initiating and engaging in this from pind to pind it can make a huge difference. If the plan is to put out a Hukamnama, we have 1430 Angs in the roop of Guru Granth Sahib jee that have already given us this hukam. Je Guru sahib dee ussee naee man sakde fe Jathedara dee kidda man lava ge?

This is a samajhik problem that stems back centuries and is engrained in many facets of society. Some caste based Gurdwaras went up based on nothing more than jidd, but unfortunately we should also recognize that definitely many caste based Gurdwaras went up because equality within the Gurus sangat and pangat was just not there. From separate langars being prepared to people not serving members of those deemed lower caste to physical violence being inflicted on those wanting to be recognized as a equal human being within a gurdwara. We are still working through all these issues. To uproot it will take time, but to go after caste-based Gurdwaras would be just as problematic if the Gurdwaras they were discriminated against in the first place have not changed their actions or attitudes.

If we remove the personalities who controlled the stage and did their job to shut down Khalistan as best they could, the resolutions themselves are mostly positive (even though, again, it irks me that Khalistan was not directly discussed in the resolutions either) and the fact sangat was present in the hundreds of thousands for an event like this is another very big positive. It is extremely difficult to try and distinguish between the personality and what message they are delivering. Watching Wassan Singh Zaffarwal read Gurmattas made me want to punch the screen, but the message being delivered was being lost due to the questionable character of the individual communicating it. In the future we can all agree that the administration of the Sarbat Khalsa can be improved and it should be wrenched out of the control of any individual or group that does not publicly acknowledge and work for a sovereign Khalistan.

I will end with the best thing I heard yesterday from an individual who’s body is chained and mind is free:

Khalsa jee, the only solution to the constant and ongoing problems within the Indian state is the establishment of Khalistan.
– Bhai Narain Singh Chaura

KHALISTAN ZINDABAD

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