Akali party is a Sikh political party of India which existed during pre-independence era. The term Akali was first applied to suicide squads that appeared in the Sikh armies. The Akali name was revived in the 1920s during the Guruwara reform movement to refer to semimilitary corps of volunteers opposed to British rule. Akalis took the lead in agitation for a Punjabi-speaking Sikh-majority state, a goal achieved in 1966 with the establishment of the Indian state of Punjab. The modern Akali party participates in national elections but is mainly concerned with the status of the Sikhs in Punjab.
