Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has stirred the Panthic political pot in poll-bound Punjab by seeking parole for Jagtar Singh Hawara, serving a life term in the assassination case of former Chief Minister Beant Singh.In a letter to Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, Mann has requested 10-day parole for Hawara as a humanitarian gesture to allow him to tend to his ailing mother. The move comes a day after Mann met the Governor here.The release of Sikh prisoners languishing in jails has been a major issue in state politics. The Quami Insaaf Morcha has already announced gherao of the Governor’s residence on August 15 demanding the release of “Bandi Singhs” — those arrested for acts of terror and who remain incarcerated in different prisons.The CM’s move comes on the back of Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, sparking talk of a possible reunion of the Akali Dal and BJP. An alliance between the two may force AAP to change its political strategy.This is perhaps the first time that a CM has sought parole for a convict linked to the assassination of a predecessor. In the letter, Mann has cited the petition filed by Hawara before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, seeking parole and the court’s reported directions to consider his application.AAP’s Anandpur Sahib MP Malwinder Singh Kang endorsed the CM’s letter, saying it was “not a matter of politics, but that of compassion”.With the Assembly elections slated early next year, AAP is seemingly trying to reclaim some of the Panthic space occupied by the emerging Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) led by jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh.The Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) has been looking to expand its political footprint by projecting Amritpal as its CM face, with its leadership emphasising Panthic issues alongside Hindu-Sikh unity.The political challenge for AAP is to prevent the emergence of a consolidated Panthic alternative that can eat into its rural and Sikh vote base.Hawara, too, finds support in a section of the Sikh community as he was appointed acting Jathedar of the Akal Takht by the 2015 Sarbat Khalsa.