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Drafting committee formed for
Jathedar norms
WSN Bureau
To outline
working procedure for the jathedar, a 17-member committee of eminent
scholars and well known academicians having deep faith in Sikh
ideology and principles has been constituted.
The formation of
this committee was decided at the Sikh conclave organized by Dal
Khalsa on March 9 at
Amritsar to
prepare a document on the overall working sphere of the jathedar of
the Akal Takht Sahib and other Takhts.
In a joint
statement Manjit Singh Calcutta, Bhai Mohkam Singh, Harchranjit
Singh Dhami, Kanwarpal Singh and Gurdeep Singh Bhatinda (all
coordinators) said this drafting committee has been constituted to
draft a Panthic code to ensure the smooth and judicious working of
all Takht jathedar's. Elaborating its terms of reference they said
this committee would deliberate on qualification, appointment,
working conditions, tenure, operational conditions and removal of
the Takht Jathedar's.
 They said once
the draft would be ready, it will be circulated amongst the Sikh
institutions and groups world over for ratification. All suggestions
and opinions will be considered and incorporated. To build an
opinion and consensus a series of get-together will be arranged in
different parts of state and country to deliberate and examine the
various facets of the post of jathedar. The entire exercise will be
concluded by
March 14, 2009.
They said Bhag Singh Ankhi, secretary Chief Khalsa Deevan and Dr
Balwant Singh Dhillon from GNDU has been appointed convenor and co-convenor
respectively of the committee. We took extra care to include
apolitical persons to keep the committee above any political
conflict.
Reiterating that
Akal Takht Sahib was the highest Sikh seat of spiritual and temporal
authority, they said the concepts of Sandesh, Gurmata and Hukamnama
have become hazed over the years because of the manner in which
edicts have been handed over in recent years. Ironically, right now
the post of the jathedar is in the midst of controversies. "Our
fundamental objective is to correct the fault line and make the post
of the jathedar independent from all political and administrative
constraints.
To a question,
they said 'by opposing the drafting committee, the SGPC president
has disobeyed the directives of the jathedar of the Akal Takht, who
at 2 different occasions has given a call to the SGPC and the Khalsa
Panth to evolve the procedural system for the said post. "Jathedar Makhar's
tirade against the drafting committee holds no water", said Mr
Calcutta.
Members of the
drafting committee includes Dr. Kharak Singh (Chandigarh), Dr.
Balkar Singh (Patiala), Former Vice-Chancellor Prithipal Singh Kapur
(Ludhiana), H.S. Phoolka (Senior Advocate, Delhi), Principal
Prabhjot Kaur (Patiala), Waryam Singh (SGPC, Amritsar), S Saran
Singh Editor 'The Sikh Review', Director Jagdish Singh (Amritsar),
Prof. Gurbax Singh Ex-Dean Agricultural University, Principal (retd)
Surjit Singh Gandhi, Dr. Jaswant Singh Neki, former PGI Director,
Prof Sukhdayal Singh (Punjabi University), Roop Singh (SGPC),
Naraien Singh (Gurdaspur), Principal Harsimran Singh (Anandpur
Sahib) beside Bhag Singh Ankhi and Dr. B S Dhillon.
2
April
2008
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