Sikhism in Pakistan

Gurdwara Janam Asthan
Total population
15,998(2023 census)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Punjab	5,649
Sindh	5,182
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	4,050
Balochistan	1,057
Languages
Punjabi •Urdu • Pashto • Sindhi • Balochi • Pakistani English

Sikhism is a minority religion inPakistan with a population of around 16,000Sikhs, accounting for 0.01% of the national population. Although Sikhs form a small community in Pakistan today, Sikhism has an extensive heritage and history in the country. Sikhism originated from what is nowPunjab, Pakistan in the 15th century. By the 18th and 19th centuries, the Sikh community had become a major political power in Punjab, with Sikh leader maharajaRanjit Singh founding theSikh Empire which had its capital inLahore, today the second-largest city in Pakistan.^[2][3]Nankana Sahib, the birthplace ofGuru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, is located in Pakistani Punjab; moreover,Kartarpur Sahib, the place where Guru Nanak died and was subsequently buried, is also located in the same province.

According to the1941 census, the Sikh population comprised roughly 1.67 million persons or 6.1 percent of the total population in the region that would ultimately become Pakistan,^[a] notably concentrated inWest Punjab, within the contemporary province of Punjab, Pakistan, where the Sikh population stood at roughly 1.52 million persons or 8.8 percent of the total population.^[b] By 1947, it is estimated that the Sikh population had increased to over 2 million persons in the region which became Pakistan with significant populations existing in the largest cities in the Punjab such as Lahore,Rawalpindi andFaisalabad (then Lyallpur). With communal violence andreligious cleansing accompanying thePartition of British India at the time, the vast majority departed the regionen masse, primarily migrating eastward to theregion of Punjab that would fall on the eastern side of theRadcliffe Line andDelhi, with corresponding mass migration of Muslims into Pakistan from India.^[4][5]

In the decades following Pakistan's formation in 1947, the Pakistani Sikh community began to reorganize, forming thePakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC) to represent the community and protect the holy sites and heritage of the Sikh religion in Pakistan. It is headquartered atGurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore.^[6] The Pakistani governmenthas granted permission to Sikhs from India to makepilgrimages to Sikh places of worship in Pakistan and for Pakistani Sikhs to travel to India.

Prior to independence in 1947,2 million Sikhs resided in the present day Pakistan and were spread all across northern Pakistan, specifically thePunjab region^{[citation needed]} and played an important role in its economy as farmers, businessmen, and traders. Significant populations of Sikhs inhabited the largest cities in the Punjab such as Lahore, Rawalpindi and Lyallpur. Lahore, the capital of Punjab, is the location of many important Sikh religious and historical sites, including theSamadhi of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.The nearby town ofNankana Sahib has ninegurdwaras, and is the birthplace of Sikhism's founder, Guru Nanak.

Sikh organizations, including theChief Khalsa Dewan andShiromani Akali Dal led byMaster Tara Singh, reacted negatively to theLahore Resolution and thePakistan movement, viewing it as welcoming possible persecution; the Sikhs largely thusstrongly opposed the partition of India.^[7] The majority of the Sikhs and Hindus of West Punjab and Sindh provinces of Pakistan migrated to India after theindependence of Pakistan in 1947, with a small community of the Sikhs remaining. These Sikh and Hindu refugee communities have had a major influence in the culture and economics of the Indian capital city of Delhi. Today, segments of the populations ofEast Punjab and Haryana states and Delhi in India can trace their ancestry back to towns and villages now in Pakistan, including former Indian Prime MinisterManmohan Singh.^[8][9] According toKhushwant Singh, approximately 2.5 million Sikhs vacated Pakistan after the country's formation in 1947.^[10][11] According to the Military Evacuation Organization (E.M.O.) on 15 November 1947, around 3,680 non-Muslims (including Sikhs) remained in West Punjab immediately after partition that occurred three months prior on 15 August 1947.^[12]

Sikhs have mainly kept a low profile within the monolithic Muslim population of Pakistan.^[13] Though, Pakistan maintains the title of Islamic state, the articles twenty, twenty-one and twenty-two in chapter two of its constitution guarantees religious freedom to the non-Muslim residents.^[14] Since independence in 1947, relations between Pakistan's minorities and the Muslim majority have remained fairly and politically stable.

From 1984 to 2002, Pakistan held a system of separate electorates for all its national legislative assemblies, with a handful of parliamentary seats reserved for minority members. Minorities were legally only permitted to vote for designated minority candidates in general elections.

The regime of former President GeneralPervez Musharraf had professed an agenda of equality for minorities and promotion and protection of minority rights, however, the implementation of corrective measures has been slow. Considerable amount of Sikhs are found in neighbourhood calledNarayanpura ofKarachi'sRanchore Lines.^[15][16]

The historical and holy sites of Sikhs are maintained by a Pakistani governmental body, thePakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, which is responsible for their upkeep and preservation.

After the independence of Pakistan and the migration of nearly all Sikhs to India the Sikh community's rights were significantly diminished as their population decreased.^[17] Today, the largest urban Sikh population in Pakistan is found inPeshawar, in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where thePashtun law of "nanawati" (protection) spared the scale of violence which had raged across theIndus River in Punjab. Despite the longstanding tensions between the Sikh and Muslim communities in South Asia, thePashtuns were tolerant towards the religious minority of Sikhs.^[18] There are small pockets of Sikhs in Lahore and Nankana Sahib in Punjab.

There has been an influx of Sikh refugees fromAfghanistan to Pakistan due to the turbulent civil war and conflicts that have ravaged neighboring Afghanistan, and many of these Sikhs have settled in Peshawar.^[19] Afghanistan, like Pakistan, has had small Sikh and Hindu populations. There has been a massive exodus of refugees from Afghanistan into Pakistan during the past 30 years of turmoil up to the reign of theTaliban and the subsequentUS invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001. Due to Pakistan's porous borders with Afghanistan, large numbers of Afghanistan's minority communities, based mainly around the cities ofKabul,Kandahar, andJalalabad have fled, and some Sikhs have joined their kinsmen in Peshawar and Lahore.^[20][21]

The Pakistani Constitution states that Sikhism is a monotheistic religion. Recently the Sikh community within Pakistan has been making every effort possible to progress in Pakistan. For example,Hercharn Singh became the first Sikh to join thePakistan Army. For the first time in the 58-year history of Pakistan there has a Sikh been selected into Pakistan's army. Prior to Harcharan Singh's selection in the Pakistani army no individual person who was a member of the Hindu or the Sikh community were ever enrolled in the army, however; the Pakistani Christian community has prominently served in the Pakistan Armed Forces and some had even reached the ranks of Major Generals in the army, Air Vice Marshals in thePakistan Air Force and rear Admiral in thePakistan Navy. It has received various awards for gallantry and valor. Moreover, members of the tiny Parsi community have some representation in the Armed Forces.^[22] Other prominent Sikhs are Inspector Amarjeet Singh ofPakistan Rangers and Lance-naik Behram Singh ofPakistan Coast Guard.^[23]

In 2007, the Pakistan Government enacted theSikh marriage act that allows Sikh marriages in Pakistan be registered.^[24][25] In 2017, the Punjab legislative assembly passed the Anand Karaj act thereby allowing the Sikh marriage in Punjab province be registered.^[26] In the Sindh province, the Sikh marriages are registered under theSindh Hindu Marriage Act of 2016.^[27]

Decadal censuses taken inBritish India revealed the religious composition of alladministrative divisions that would ultimately compose regions situated in contemporary Pakistan. The 1901Census in British India taken inadministrative divisions that would ultimately compose regions situated in contemporary Pakistan indicated that Sikhs numbered approximately 529,910 persons and comprised roughly 3.0 percent of the total population,^[c] followed by an increase to around 884,987 persons or to 4.7 percent in 1911.^[d] The Sikh population would rise to approximately 931,489 persons in 1921 with the share of the total population rising to 4.8 percent,^[d] further increasing to 5.7 percent in 1931, with total Sikh population growing to roughly 1,282,698 persons.^[f]

According to theGovernment of Pakistan'sNational Database and Registration Authority, there were 6,146 Sikhs registered in Pakistan in 2012.^[33] A 2010 survey by the Sikh Resource and Study Centre reported 50,000 Sikhs living in Pakistan.^[34] Most are settled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa followed by Sindh and Punjab.^[35] Other sources, including the US Department of State, claim the Sikh population in Pakistan to be as high as 20,000.^[36][37] In a news article published in December 2022, there was an estimated 30,000–35,000 Sikhs in Pakistan according to Gurpal Singh and Sikhs will be included as a separate category and enumerated on the2023 Census of Pakistan.^[38] The results of the 2023 census will be a milestone in the first official inclusion of Sikhs since the formation of Pakistan as a sovereign nation. TheNational Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has provided the numbers of eligible voters belonging to minority religions (registered in electoral rolls):

• 2013: 5,934 Sikh Voters^[39]
• 2018: 8,852 Sikh Voters^[39]

According to the 1901 census, the Sikh population in Pakistan comprised roughly 529,910 persons or 3.0 percent of the total population.^[c] With the exception of theFederally Administered Tribal Areas, alladministrative divisions in the region that composes contemporary Pakistan collected religious data, with a combined population of 17,633,258, for an overall response rate of 99.6 percent out of the total population of 17,708,014, as detailed in the table below.^[c]

According to the 1911 census, the Sikh population in Pakistan comprised roughly 884,987 persons or 4.7 percent of the total population.^[d] With the exception of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, all administrative divisions in the region that composes contemporary Pakistan collected religious data, with a combined population of 18,806,379, for an overall response rate of 92.1 percent out of the total population of 20,428,473, as detailed in the table below.^[d]

According to the 1921 census, the Sikh population in Pakistan comprised roughly 931,489 persons or 4.8 percent of the total population.^[e] With the exception of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, all administrative divisions in the region that composes contemporary Pakistan collected religious data, with a combined population of 19,389,016, for an overall response rate of 87.3 percent out of the total population of 22,214,152, as detailed in the table below.^[e]

According to the 1931 census, the Sikh population in Pakistan comprised roughly 1.28 million persons or 5.7 percent of the total population.^[f] With the exception of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, all administrative divisions in the region that composes contemporary Pakistan collected religious data, with a combined population of 22,514,768, for an overall response rate of 90.9 percent out of the total population of 24,774,056, as detailed in the table below.^[f]

According to the 1941 census, the Sikh population in Pakistan comprised roughly 1.67 million persons or 6.1 percent of the total population.^[a] With the exception of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, all administrative divisions in the region that compose contemporary Pakistan collected religious data, with a combined population of 27,266,001, for an overall response rate of 92.0 percent out of the total population of 29,643,600, as detailed in the table below.^[a]

According to the 1951 census, the Sikh population in Pakistan comprised roughly 1,476 persons or 0.004 percent of the total population.^[g]

Pakistani Sikhs by Province - 2023 Census^[1]

Province	Total Population	Urban	Rural	Male	Female
Punjab	5,649	4,354	1,295	2,975	2,667
Sindh	5,182	3,540	1,642	2,782	2,382
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	4,050	2,430	1,620	2,084	1,964
Balochistan	1,057	468	589	633	420
Islamabad	60	37	23	36	24
Pakistan	15,988	10,829	5,169	8,510	7,457

In Punjab, Sikhs are concentrated in the cities ofHasan Abdal andNankana Sahib, where they form over 1% of population; and the districts ofLahore andSialkot.^[68] In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa they number more than 1,000 each in the districts ofBuner andPeshawar. In Sindh the largest Sikh population is found inKarachi.

According to the 1941 census, the Sikh population in West Punjab (the region that composes contemporary Punjab, Pakistan) was approximately 1,520,112, or 8.77 percent of the total population.^[b] At the district level in the West Punjab region, the largest Sikh concentrations existed in Sheikhupura District (Sikhs formed 18.85 percent of the total population and numbered 160,706 persons), Lyallpur District (18.82 percent or 262,737 persons), Lahore District (18.32 percent or 310,646 persons), Montgomery District (13.17 percent or 175,064 persons), and Sialkot District (11.71 percent or 139,409 persons).^[62]: 42

During the colonial era (British India), prior to the partition in 1947, decadal censuses enumerated religion inNorth-West Frontier Province, and not in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Both administrative divisions later amalgamated to become Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to the 1941 census, the Sikh population in North-West Frontier Province (part of the region that composes contemporary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) was approximately 57,939, or 1.9 percent of the total population.^[64]: 22 At the district level in North-West Frontier Province, the largest Sikh concentrations existed in Peshawar District (Sikhs formed 2.82 percent of the total population and numbered 24,030 persons), Mardan District (2.34 percent or 11,838 persons), and Bannu District (2.07 percent or 6,112 persons).^{[64]: 22–23}

At thetehsil level in North-West Frontier Province, as per the 1941 census, the largest Sikh concentrations existed inPeshawar Tehsil (Sikhs formed 3.97 percent of the total population and numbered 15,454 persons),Kohat Tehsil (3.15 percent or 3,613 persons),Nowshera Tehsil (3.04 percent or 6,636 persons),Mardan Tehsil (3.04 percent or 9,091 persons), andBannu Tehsil (2.82 percent or 5,285 persons).^[64]: 30

According to the 1941 census, the Sikh population in urban portions of North-West Frontier Province was approximately 41,399, or 7.5 percent of the total urban population.^[64]: 19Cities/urban areas in North-West Frontier Province with the largest Sikh concentrations includedMardan (Sikhs formed 14.15 percent of the total population and numbered 6,014 persons),Bannu (12.71 percent or 4,894 persons),Risalpur (11.37 percent or 1,024 persons),Haripur (11.1 percent or 1,035 persons), andAbbottabad (9.77 percent or 2,680 persons).^[64]: 19

According to the 1941 census, the Sikh population inBaluchistan Agency (the region that composes contemporaryBalochistan, Pakistan) was approximately 12,044, or 1.4 percent of the total population.^{[65]: 13–18} At the district/princely state level in Baluchistan Agency, the largest Sikh concentrations existed inQuetta–Pishin District (Sikhs formed 5.62 percent of the total population and numbered 8,787 persons),Bolan District (3.06 percent or 184 persons),Zhob District (1.75 percent or 1,076 persons),Loralai District (1.34 percent or 1,124 persons), andChaghai District (0.6 percent or 181 persons).^{[65]: 13–18}

Sikhs in thedistricts andprincely states ofBaluchistan Agency (1941)^{[65]: 13–18}

District/ Princely State	Sikhism
	Population	Percentage
Quetta–Pishin District	8,787	5.62%
Loralai District	1,124	1.34%
Zhob District	1,076	1.75%
Sibi District	566	0.34%
Bolan District	184	3.06%
Chaghai District	181	0.6%
Kalat State	79	0.03%
Las Bela State	47	0.07%
Kharan State	0	0%
Total Sikhs	12,044	1.4%
Total Population	857,835	100%

According to the 1941 census, the Sikh population in urban portions ofBaluchistan Agency was approximately 11,041, or 9.7 percent of the total urban population.^{[65]: 13–14} Cities/urban areas in Baluchistan Agency with the largest Sikh concentrations includedLoralai (Sikhs formed 21.9 percent of the total population and numbered 1,116 persons),Quetta (11.42 percent or 7,364 persons),Fort Sandeman (10.73 percent or 1,004 persons),Chaman (10.48 percent or 697 persons), andPishin (9.68 percent or 183 persons).^{[65]: 13–14}

Sikhs in thecities of Baluchistan Agency (1941)^{[65]: 13–14}

City/Urban Area	Sikhism
	Population	Percentage
Quetta[aq]	7,364	11.42%
Loralai[aq]	1,116	21.9%
Fort Sandeman[aq]	1,004	10.73%
Chaman[aq]	697	10.48%
Sibi	362	4.09%
Pishin	183	9.68%
Machh	121	5.45%
Usta	77	4%
Bela	47	1.2%
Kalat	33	1.34%
Mastung	28	0.89%
Panjgur	9	1.9%
Pasni	0	0%
Total Urban Sikh Population	11,041	9.68%
Total Urban population	114,060	100%

Sikhs have been victims of targeted assassinations and forced conversions in the tribal areas and Peshawar on the hand ofPakistani Taliban.^[79][80][81] Non-Muslim Pakistanis, including Sikhs, continue to grapple with significant challenges of persecution and religious discrimination in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In response to the alleged death threats by Taliban, numerous Sikh families have sought refuge in other nations deemed "safer" to secure their well-being.^[82]

In 2009, theLashkar-e-Islam led by Mangal Bagh demanded that Sikhs in theAurakzai tribal region in FATA pay them thejizya (poll tax levied by Muslims on non-Muslim minorities).^[83][84] Initially demanding 50 million rupees as the jizya payment, the Taliban later settled for a 20 million rupee payment, which local Sikhs paid.^[83] The Taliban had earlier occupied the homes of 10 Sikh families inQasimkhel in neighbouring Afghanistan and kidnapped a local Sikh leader named Saiwang Singh.^[83] After paying the jizya, the Taliban assured the Sikhs they would protect them, leading to some Sikhs who had fled the region to return.^[83] In 2010, the Taliban attacked many minorities including Sikhsresulting in two beheadings.^[85]

Many Pakistani Sikhs have emigrated to countries like theUnited Kingdom (UK),Canada andThailand. According to the UK's 2001 census, there were 346 Pakistani Sikhs in the UK. There is also a growing Pakistani Sikh expatriate community in theUnited Arab Emirates.^[86]

Following are some of notable Pakistani Sikhs:

• Soran Singh, former member of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly – (Pir Baba,Buner)
• Ranjeet Singh, former member of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly – (Kohat City,Kohat)^[87]
• Mahindar Pall Singh, former member of Punjab provincial assembly – (Nankana Sahib City,Nankana Sahib)
• Gurdeep Singh, currentSenator – (Swat)^[88]
• Ramesh Singh, current member of the Punjab provincial assembly – (Nankana Sahib City, Nankana Sahib)
• Gurpal Singh, current member of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly – (Bara,Khyber)
• Hercharn Singh, soldier – (Nankana Sahib City, Nankana Sahib)
• Rup Magon, musician – (Montreal, Canada)
• Jassi Lailpuria, singer – (Faisalabad City,Faisalabad)
• Manmeet Kaur, journalist – (Peshawar City,Peshawar)
• Mahindarpal Singh, cricketer – (Nankana Sahib City, Nankana Sahib)

After partition, gurdwaras fell into disuse as Sikhs fled to India and left their ancestral homelands.^[89] Later, cross-border agreements allowed for Indian Sikhyatri pilgrims to visit Pakistani gurdwaras during religious festivals.^[89] Afterinsurgency erupted in the Indian state ofPunjab, the Pakistani government became more lenient when allowing Sikh pilgrims into the country.^[89]

Mohammad Waliullah Khan in his 1962 bookSikh Shrines in West Pakistan recorded 130 historical shrines associated with Sikhism inWest Pakistan, listing all of their names and location.^[90] In 1998, Iqbal Qaiser recorded nearly 200 historical Sikh shrines in Pakistan in his bookHistorical Sikh Shrines in Pakistan after five years of research.^[91][92] Amardeep Singh Ranghar had documented the Sikh sites in Pakistan in two volumes during the 2010's under the title ofLost Heritage: The Sikh Legacy in Pakistan.^[93] In his 2019 bookThe Sikh Heritage: Beyond Borders, Dalvir Singh Pannu documents around eight-four Sikh sites in the country.^[94]

In 2024, thePakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee listed twenty-one operational gurdwaras on its website.^[95] Many of the gurdwaras are located in Nankana Sahib.^[96] Operational gurdwaras are as follows:^[95][97][96]

• Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, Kartarpur^[97]
• Gurdwara Babe-di-Beri, Sialkot^[97]
• Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Hasan Abdal^[97]
• Gurdwara Rori Sahib, Eminabad^[97]
• Gurdwara Janam Asthan, Nankana Sahib^[97]
• Gurdwara Dera Sahib, Lahore^[98]
• Gurdwara Janam Asthan Guru Ram Das, Lahore^[98]
• Gurdwara Bhai Biba Singh, Peshawar^[99]
• Gurdwara Bhai Joga Singh, Peshawar^[99]
• Gurdwara Tambu Sahib, Nankana Sahib^[97]
• Gurdwara Patti Sahib, Nankana Sahib^[97][96]
• Gurdwara Bal Lila Sahib, Nankana Sahib^[97][96]
• Gurdwara Kiara Sahib, Nankana Sahib^[97][96]
• Gurdwara Panjvin, Nankana Sahib^[97][96]
• Gurdwara Chhevin Patshahi, Nankana Sahib^[97][96]
• Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Mingora^[95]
• Gurdwara Sach Khand Sahib, Shikarpur^[95]
• Gurdwara Ganj Singh, Lahore^[95]
• Gurdwara Babay Nanki, Dera Chahal^[95]
• Gurdwara Malji Sahib, Kasur District^[97][96]
• Gurdwara Sacha Sauda, Farooqabad^[97]

Some sites that once existed as gurdwaras have since been abandoned, lost or destroyed.^[100] In August 2024, it was reported that the Jeevay Sanjha Punjab (JSP) rediscovered some historical Sikh gurdwaras,samadhs (cenotaphs), andjanam-asthans (birthplace-locations) in Lahore, such as the birthplace ofBhai Daya Singh, the samadh ofMaharani Jind Kaur, and Gurdwara Baoli Sahib constructed by Guru Arjan.^[101]

• Gurdwara Rori Sahib, Jahman^[100]
• Gurdwara Shaheed Bhai Taru Singh, Lahore
• Gurdwara Chowa Sahib, Jhelum
• Gurdwara Ratan Talao, Karachi
• Gurdwara Shahid Ganj Singh Singhania, Lahore
• Gurdwara Makhdoom Pur Pahoran, Makhdoom Pur Pahoran
• Gurdwara Baoli Sahib, Lahore^[102]

• 
  Golden dome ofGurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore
• 
  TheGurdwara Janam Asthan inNankana Sahib,Pakistan, commemorates the site where Guru Nanak is believed to have been born. It was rebuilt by the Pakistani Government
• 
  Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Punjab
• 
  Darbar Sahib,gurdwara commemoratingGuru Nanak, in Kartarpur, Pakistan

• Pakistan Sikh Council
• Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee
• 2010 Sikh beheadings by the Taliban
• History of Sikhism

• Muslim leaders condemn brutal killing of Sikhs by Taliban in Pakistan. TCN News.
• "Pakistan: Insufficient protection of Sikh destination religious minorities".Amnesty International. 14 May 2001. Archived fromthe original on 29 August 2017. Retrieved13 August 2010.
• Frei, Matt (13 January 2002)."Time stands still at Khyber Pass".British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved13 August 2010.
• Jolly, Asit (11 October 2001)."Sikh Families Escape Afghanistan".British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved13 August 2010.
• Rana, Yudhvir."NWFP Sikhs sore over denial of visas to India".The Times of India. Retrieved13 August 2010.

• Sikhism in Pakistan
• Persecution by Muslims

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