AMRITSAR: A five member SGPC delegation led by its president Mr. GS. Tohra will call on the Prime Minister, Mr. VP Singh and the Union Home Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed to seek elections to the committee due since 1984, besides sorting out matters concerning the SGPC affairs and Sikh issues.

The SGPC secretary Mr. Manjit Singh Calcutta said he had sent a communication to the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister seeking time after August 16. The date was yet to be finalized.

He said the delegation besides Mr. Tohra, would consist of the senior vice president Mr Bipal ‘Singh the junior vice president Mr Ujagar Singh Rangretta the general secretary Mr. Mal Singh Ghuman and senior executive member, Mr. Satnam Singh. Mr Manjit Singh would also accompany the delegation.

Mr Manjit Singh said the SGPC had passed several resolutions at its executive and general house meetings in the past four years demanding fresh elections, but it had not given thought to it. Many political parties like the Akali factions the All India Sikh Students Federation and religious bodies had also been demanding SGPC elections at the earliest.

Elections to the 150 member house was last held in 1979 during the Janata regime. The body was constituted under the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925.

Mr Manjit Singh said the delegation would seek the Prime Ministers intervention in the solution of long pending issues relating to sponsorship of pilgrims to Pakistan, repairs and conduct of Sikh shrines, there, restoration of international flights from Rajasansi airport at Amritsar compensation to persons killed in Operation Bluestar, beautification of the 30 metres corridor around the Golden Temple installation of a high powered transmitter for the relay of Gurbani from the Golden Temple and the matter pertaining to the disappearance of two SGPC officials the assistant secretary Mr Abnashi Singh, and medical superintendent of SGPC run Guru Ram Das Hospital, Dr. Baldev Singh Brar, since March 31, 1987.

Mr Manjit Singh said there were unconfirmed reports that the missing officials were in the custody of certain government agencies.

He said the SGPC would demand its exemption from the provisions of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 1976, as amended through an ordinance in 1984 in which the SGPC was specified as an organisation of political nature not being a political party and restrictions were imposed on its Receiving foreign donations.

Mr. Manjit Singh said the center had rejected the SGPC plea on donations in June last, but it was permitted to accept foreign donations with prior permission from the Central Government. The SGPC wanted these restrictions to be waived since the Sikhs were bound to send donations to the Golden Temple for religious rites.

He said the matter of grabbing of gurdwara land in Pakistan should be taken up on priority basis with the Pakistan Government. The Pakistan authorities had been terminating the ownership of thousands of acres of agriculture land attached to Sikh shrines in Pakistan and handing them over to the tillers through court orders, This land included the land of 60 villages which was donated to Guru Nanak Dey by the ruler of the area, Rai Bular, at Nankana Sahib.

Mr. Manjit Singh said there was urgent need of repair of gurdwaras in Pakistan, otherwise, some important gurdwaras like Shaheed Ganj at Lahore would collapse.

The SGPC delegation would seek exemption from excise duty on the latest printing machinery being imported for installation at Guru Granth Sahib Bhavan here for printing Guru Granth Sahib,

Article extracted from this publication >> August 31, 1990