SGPC chief's poll: Badal empowered to choose nominee
Tribune News Service and UNI

AMRITSAR, Oct 21 — The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) executive committee has empowered Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who is also the President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), to select a candidate for the SGPC's presidentship, the annual elections for which will be held on November 10.

This decision was taken at the meeting of the executive committee held here today. The current SGPC chief, Bibi Jagir Kaur, presided over the meeting.

Later talking to newspersons she said being the president of the SAD which had a overwhelming majority in the SGPC general house, it would be appropriate for Mr Badal to choose the candidate to lead the SGPC. "I will perform whatever Mr Badal tells me to do so", she quipped, when asked if she was interested in heading the SGPC for another year.

The executive committee also decided not to send a jatha of 3000 pilgrims to Pakistan to visit Sikh shrines on November 23 to mark Gurpurb of Guru Nanak Dev till the Pakistan Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PGPC) headed by a former chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was disbanded.

Bibi Jagir Kaur said the Government of India had not yet given permission to the 11-member delegation of the SGPC led by her to visit Pakistan for taking up the issue of the disbanding the PGPC. "It seems that the permission had not been granted owing to the imposition of the army rule there. We don't know whom we should talk to on this important issue, she complained.

It may be mentioned here that The Tribune had already published a report last week that the SGPC may stick to its decision for not sending the jatha to Pakistan in protest against the formation of the PGPC.

Bibi Jagir Kaur clarified that the SGPC had not received any request from the so-called co-chairman of the PGPC Sham Singh for sending the jatha to Pakistan. "We don't consider any existence of the PGPC", she said. She said the SGPC could not sent the jatha on the basis of the report published in a section of the Press.

It is pertinent to mention here that the SGPC had stopped sending pilgrims to Pakistan after the tercentenary celebrations of the birth of the Khalsa in protest against the formation of the PGPC.

Bibi Jagir Kaur said the PGPC had no locus standi to make arrangements in Pakistan gurdwaras as it was the prerogative of the SGPC. As per the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925, the SGPC had the sole right to uphold the Sabha 'maryada' in gurdwaras.

She, however, said the SGPC had asked the devotees to submit their passports so that timely arrangements could be made to visit Pakistan if the Government of Pakistan took any concrete decision regarding the disbanding of the PGPC. She said the SGPC wanted to send the jatha to Pakistan but the decision regarding this could be taken after having positive reponse from the Government of Pakistan.

Bibi Jagir Kaur also said the controversial Nanakshahi calendar would be endorsed in the forthcoming general house meeting of the SGPC. She however, said she had no differences with Giani Puran Singh, Jathedar, Akal Takht.

When asked that Giani Puran Singh had stopped the implementation of the Nanakshahi calendar till it was unanimously passed by representatives of various Sikh bodies, she declined to comment.

It may be mentioned here that Sikh clergy have already convened a meeting at Akal Takht on November 4 to discuss the controversial calendar.

She said the retirement age for all SGPC employees had been fixed at 58 and a review committee had been set-up to prepare a list of all employees above this age. The cases of those who had been granted extension in service were being reviewed, she pointed out.

The SGPC chief justified the attendance of Giani Puran Singh at the bhog ceremony of Harjinder Singh Jinda and Sukhdev Singh Sukha, assassins of Gen A.S. Vaidya (retd.) She, however, said she was not aware what he (Giani Puran Singh) spoke on the occasion.

Bibi Jagir Kaur said she had asked the three-member sub-committee, headed by Mr Balbir Singh Naushahrapannua, Senior Vice-President, SGPC, to submit report on the conduct of Prof Manjit Singh and Giani Kewal Singh, Jathedars Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib and Takht Damdama Sahib, respectively. This panel was constituted by the SGPC when Bhai Ranjit Singh, the then Jathedar of Akal Takht was placed under suspension.

She said the SGPC would get the official accommodation occupied by Bhai Ranjit Singh vacated at all costs. She said since Bhai Ranjit Singh was no more Jathedar of Akal Takht, he must vacate the official accommodation.

On signing of an agreement with a TV channel for telecasting Gurbani from the Golden Temple, Bibi Jagir Kaur said she had asked her officer on special duty to hold a meeting of representatives of all channels in this regard within a week.

Answering a question, Bibi Jagir Kaur said the draft notification regarding the amendment in the Gurdwara Act, 1925, would be discussed in the general house of the SGPC committee.