Former Punjab militant floats politcal party

Amritsar, May 1 (UNI) Former Punjab militant Wassan Singh Zaffarwal today floated a new political party that would uphold Sikh traditions and tenets.

The new party--Shiormani Akali Dal (Zaffarwal), will be head by Wassan Singh Zaffarwal, who had on January 26,1987 floated the first ever 'Pathic Committee', then considered as an 'apex' body of the Punjab militant organisations.

Announcing the formaion of the new party, Zaffarwal told reporters here today that the party would wage a peaceful and democractic struggle for "fulfilling the goals and aspirations of the Sikhs".

The party would seek guidance from the Akal Takht, the highest spiritual and tempral seat of the Sikhs in achieving its goals, he said.

The party would also wage a struggle for an early solution to the inter state territorial and water disputes and get justice for Punjab, he said. The party would also launch a movement to eradicate the menace of drug addiction in Punjab, he added.

Zaffarwal who once headed a faction of the Khalistan Command Force was arrested in 2001 after his return to India from Europe.

Zaffarwal had fled the country after the formation of the 'Panthic Committee' and had gone to Pakistan from where he sent arms and ammunation to members of his outfit. He then went to Switzerland after he developed differences with the ISI.

Replying to a question, he claimed that both the SAD led by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and the previous Congress government had failed to live upto the expectations of the people of Punjab.

UNI