Fortieth anniversary of the Khalistan Declaration marked at Sri Akal Takht Sahib

Who: Five organisations: Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) under Simranjit Singh Mann, Dal Khalsa, Panch Pardani Jatha, Akal Federation and the Jathedar Hawara Committee. The march was led by Simranjit Singh Mann, Daljit Singh, Dal Khalsa's Kanwarpal Singh and Narien Singh. Those present included SGPC member Kulbir Singh and Mandeep Singh Sidhu of Waris Punjab De. Sikh Federation (UK) held parallel events in Brussels.

What: On Wednesday 29 April 2026, the fortieth anniversary of the 1986 Khalistan Declaration, hundreds of activists marched from Burj Akali Baba Phoola Singh to the Golden Temple, offered an ardas at Sri Akal Takht Sahib and released a policy document outside the Takht Secretariat. According to The Tribune, the document says the liberation struggle is rooted in the Gurmat ideal of Sarbat da Bhala, the welfare of all, and that the Khalsa Panth intends to carry out its mission through love, compassion and the Guru's grace. The young leaders said they did not support disorder and expected the same restraint from others. Before the day, Dal Khalsa's Kanwarpal Singh had said the ardas would honour those who died in the movement and restate its political objective, and that the community stood at a "critical juncture" and needed a collective strategy. The leaders also noted that Canada's Parliament had observed a moment of silence for Hardeep Singh Nijjar and that UN bodies had taken note of alleged Indian transnational repression. The reports reviewed quote only a few lines of the document itself.

Where: Amritsar, from Burj Akali Baba Phoola Singh to Sri Harmandir Sahib and Sri Akal Takht Sahib. In Brussels, Sikh Federation (UK) held a rally at Luxembourg Square opposite the European Parliament and a press conference at the Brussels Press Club. Events were announced for the United States on 29 April, Canada on 2 May and the UK on 3 May.

Why it mattered: The Declaration was issued on 29 April 1986 by a five-member Panthic Committee elected by the Sarbat Khalsa, inside the Sri Darbar Sahib complex. Forty years later, five organisations that work as separate parties and committees marked the day together and set a written policy statement beside the ardas, in the language of Gurmat, love and compassion. Sikh Federation (UK) used its Brussels platform to argue that India will not allow Sikhs to exercise self-determination and to predict that an independent Khalistan will emerge if India breaks up; those are the organisers' own views. The detailed proposals in the policy document are not covered by the reports reviewed here.