Global Sikh Council appeals to Jathedar to invoke Akal Takht Sahib’s authority for Panthic unity ahead of Punjab assembly elections

Chandigarh, 4 August, 2026 (WISHAVWARTA):- The Global Sikh Council (GSC), representing Sikh national bodies from nearly thirty countries with significant Sikh populations, has issued a formal appeal to Singh Sahib Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, Amritsar urging him to assume direct leadership of the Sikh Panth at what the Council has described as a grave and critical juncture in Punjab’s political and social life.
The appeal, adopted following deliberations of the GSC Executive Committee meeting held recently, invokes the doctrinal foundations of Sikh polity, namely ‘Miri-Piri’, the indivisible union of temporal responsibility and spiritual authority, and the principle of ‘Guru Granth’ and ‘Guru Panth’, under which doctrinal finality rests with Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji while collective decision making is entrusted to the Guru Panth. The Council notes that Sri Akal Takht Sahib has historically assumed this leadership role in moments of existential threat to the Panth, exercised through the Jathedar of highest temporal seat as spokesman of the Guru Panth.
Citing rising concern among Panthic voices in Punjab and abroad, including a recent call for unity from different quarters including Bibi Satwant Kaur, Chairperson of the Panthic Council and Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara, the GSC has drawn attention to the sheer fragmentation of Akali politics in the state. Of the eleven registered parties carrying the name Akali Dal, only Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), secured seats in the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections, winning three of one hundred and seventeen. The Council argues that this division has left the Panth without effective political representation at a time when it faces mounting challenges, including law and order concerns, drug abuse among youth, river water, rising debt and what the Council describes as unregulated demographic change driven by large scale migration into the state.
The representation has been signed by the President Dr Kanwaljit Kaur, UK, Vice President Paramjit Singh Bedi, USA, Secretary Advocate Harjeet Singh Grewal, Treasurer Harsarn Singh, both from India, and Advocate Jagir Singh, Malaysia. The GSC has proposed a series of concrete steps for the Jathedar’s consideration. These include a formal call, by Adesh, to all active Akali Dal factions, among them Shiromani Akali Dal under Sukhbir Singh Badal, the newly constituted SAD Punar Surjit under Giani Harpreet Singh, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) under Simranjit Singh Mann, and Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) under Amritpal Singh, to contest the coming Assembly elections on a unified platform with an agreed seat sharing formula and nominations in Boards and Corporations. Where consensus on leadership proves elusive, the Council has suggested the constitution of a five member presidential committee (Presidium), or alternatively the appointment of a respected professional from outside active politics to steer the coalition, a model it likens to Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji’s appointment as Prime Minister of India.
The Council has appealed to the Jathedar to extend this call for unity beyond the Akali Dal factions to include Dalits and other Sikh political formations, with a view to building the broadest possible coalition capable of forming a government responsive to Punjab’s interests.
The GSC has further proposed the establishment of a committee of senior lawyers to examine allegations of electoral roll irregularities, working in coordination with the State Election Commission and with grassroots groups already engaged on the issue in villages across the state. The Council has also called for legislative safeguards concerning voting rights, agricultural land purchase and government employment eligibility for recent migrants to Punjab, framing the proposals as protective of the rights of Punjab’s native born population.
The GSC has additionally invited Sikh organisations, societies and non-governmental bodies worldwide, as well as other groups working for Punjab’s interests irrespective of religious affiliation, to join the appeal and to convey similar representations to Sri Akal Takht Sahib.
The Global Sikh Council has stated that it awaits the Jathedar’s guidance and has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting any initiative undertaken by Sri Akal Takht Sahib toward restoring unity within the Sikh Panth.