Sikhism in Pakistan

Sikhism in Pakistan Pakistan
Gurdwara Janam Asthan
Total population
15,998 Increase(2023 census)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Punjab5,649
Sindh5,182
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa4,050
Balochistan1,057
Languages
Punjabi • Urdu • Pashto • Sindhi • Balochi • Pakistani English
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Sikhism and other religions

Sikhism in Pakistan has an extensive heritage and history, although Sikhs form a small community in Pakistan today. Most Sikhs live in the province of Punjab, a part of the larger Punjab region where the religion originated in the Middle Ages, with some also residing in Peshawar in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, is located in Pakistan's Punjab province. Moreover, the place where Guru Nanak died, the Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib is also located in the same province.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Sikh community became a major political power in Punjab, with Sikh leader Maharaja Ranjit Singh founding the Sikh Empire which had its capital in Lahore, the second-largest city in Pakistan today.[2][3]

According to the 1941 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 in West 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 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 and Faisalabad (then Lyallpur), however with violence and religious cleansing accompanying the partition of India at the time, the vast majority departed the region en masse, primarily migrating eastward to the region of Punjab that would fall on the eastern side of the Radcliffe Line, in the contemporary Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi.[5][6]

In the decades following Pakistan's formation in 1947, the remaining Sikh community began to re-organize, forming the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC) to represent the community and protect the holy sites and heritage of the Sikh religion in Pakistan. It is headed by Satwant Singh.[7] The Pakistani government has begun to allow Sikhs from India to make pilgrimages to Sikh places of worship in Pakistan and for Pakistani Sikhs to travel to India.

History

Colonial era

Photograph of a Sikh health worker of the Karachi Plague Committee in Old Town, Karachi, by R. Jalbhoy, 1897
Gurdwara Dera Sahib, Lahore

Prior to independence in 1947, 2 million Sikhs resided in the present day Pakistan and were spread all across Northern Pakistan, specifically the Punjab region 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, was then and still is today the location of many important Sikh religious and historical sites, including the Samadhi of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who is referred to as Sher-e-Punjab .The nearby town of Nankana Sahib has nine Gurudwaras, and is the birthplace of Sikhism's founder, Guru Nanak Sahib. Each of Nankana Sahib's gurdwaras are associated with different events in Guru Nanak Dev's life. The town remains an important site of pilgrimage for Sikhs worldwide.

Sikh organizations, including the Chief Khalsa Dewan and Shiromani Akali Dal led by Master Tara Singh, condemned the Lahore Resolution and the movement to create Pakistan, viewing it as welcoming possible persecution; the Sikhs largely thus strongly opposed the partition of India.[8]

Partition of India (1947)

Exterior of Panja Sahib Gurdwara in Hasan Abdal

The majority of the Sikhs and Hindus of West Punjab and Sindh provinces of Pakistan migrated to India after the independence of Pakistan in 1947, resulting in a fraction of the Sikh communities that formerly existed previously. 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 of East Punjab and Haryana states and Delhi in India can trace their ancestry back to towns and villages now in Pakistan, including former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.[9][10]

Modern era

Sikhs have mainly kept a low profile within the monolithic Muslim population of Pakistan.[11] 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.[12] 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 only 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 General Pervez 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 called Narayanpura of Karachi's Ranchore Lines.[13][14]

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

The emergence of the Sikh community within Pakistan

Gurdwara in Layallpur-Faisalabad

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.[15] Today, the largest urban Sikh population in Pakistan is found in Peshawar, in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where the Pashtun law of "nanawati" (protection) spared the scale of violence which had raged across the Indus River in Punjab. Despite the longstanding tensions between the Sikh and Muslim communities in South Asia, the Pashtuns were tolerant towards the religious minority of Sikhs.[16] There are small pockets of Sikhs in Lahore and Nankana Sahib in Punjab.

There has been an influx of Sikh refugees from Afghanistan to Pakistan due to the turbulent civil war and conflicts that have ravaged neighboring Afghanistan, and many of these Sikhs have settled in Peshawar.[17] 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 the Taliban and the subsequent US 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 of Kabul, Kandahar, and Jalalabad have fled, and some Sikhs have joined their kinsmen in Peshawar and Lahore.[18][19]

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 the Pakistan 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 the Pakistan Air Force and rear Admiral in the Pakistan Navy. It has received various awards for gallantry and valor. Moreover, members of the tiny Parsi community have some representation in the Armed Forces.[20] Other prominent Sikhs are Inspector Amarjeet Singh of Pakistan Rangers and Lance-naik Behram Singh of Pakistan Coast Guard.[21]

In 2007, the Pakistan Government enacted the Sikh marriage act that allows Sikh marriages in Pakistan be registered.[22][23] In 2017, the Punjab legislative assembly passed the Anand Karaj act thereby allowing the Sikh marriage in Punjab province be registered.[24] In the Sindh province, the Sikh marriages are registered under the Sindh Hindu Marriage Act of 2016.[25]

Demographics

Sikh Population History
Pakistan
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 529,910—    
1911 884,987+5.26%
1921 931,489+0.51%
1931 1,282,698+3.25%
1941 1,672,753+2.69%
1951 1,476−50.50%
1981 2,146+1.26%
1990 2,898+3.39%
1993 3,374+5.20%
2023 15,998+5.32%
Source: [c][d][e][f][a][g][26][27][28][29][30][1]
Census of India, Census of Pakistan

Decadal censuses taken in British India revealed the religious composition of all administrative divisions that would ultimately compose regions situated in contemporary Pakistan. The 1901 Census in British India taken in administrative 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 the Government of Pakistan's National Database and Registration Authority, there were 6,146 Sikhs registered in Pakistan in 2012.[31] A 2010 survey by the Sikh Resource and Study Centre reported 50,000 Sikhs living in Pakistan.[32] Most are settled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa followed by Sindh and Punjab.[33] Other sources, including the US Department of State, claim the Sikh population in Pakistan to be as high as 20,000.[34][35] 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 the 2023 Census of Pakistan.[36] 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. The National 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 [37]
  • 2018: 8,852 Sikh Voters[37]

1901 census

Further information: West Punjab § Religion, North-West Frontier Province § Religion, Baluchistan Agency § Religion, and Jammu and Kashmir (princely state) § Religion

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 the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, all administrative 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]

Sikhism in Pakistan by administrative division[c]
Administrative
division 		1901 census
Sikh Population Sikh Percentage Total Responses Total Population
Punjab[38][43][h] 483,999 4.64% 10,427,765 10,427,765
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa[40] 25,733 1.25% 2,050,724[l] 2,125,480[l]
AJK[42][j] 17,132 1.96% 872,915 872,915
Balochistan[41] 2,972 0.37% 810,746 810,746
Gilgit–Baltistan[42][k] 74 0.12% 60,885 60,885
Sindh[39][i] — — 3,410,223 3,410,223
Pakistan 529,910 3.01% 17,633,258 17,708,014

1911 census

Further information: West Punjab § Religion, North-West Frontier Province § Religion, Baluchistan Agency § Religion, and Jammu and Kashmir (princely state) § Religion

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]

Sikhism in Pakistan by administrative division[d]
Administrative
division 		1911 census
Sikh Population Sikh Percentage Total Responses Total Population
Punjab[44][49][m] 813,441 7.33% 11,104,585 11,104,585
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa[46] 30,345 1.38% 2,196,933[l] 3,819,027[l]
AJK[48][o] 20,391 2.39% 854,531 854,531
Sindh[45][n] 12,339 0.33% 3,737,223 3,737,223
Balochistan[47] 8,390 1.01% 834,703 834,703
Gilgit–Baltistan[48][p] 81 0.1% 78,404 78,404
Pakistan 884,987 4.71% 18,806,379 20,428,473

1921 census

Further information: West Punjab § Religion, North-West Frontier Province § Religion, Baluchistan Agency § Religion, and Jammu and Kashmir (princely state) § Religion

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]

Sikhism in Pakistan by administrative division[e]
Administrative
division 		1921 census
Sikh Population Sikh Percentage Total Responses Total Population
Punjab[50][q] 863,091 7.26% 11,888,985 11,888,985
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa[52] 28,040 1.25% 2,251,340[l] 5,076,476[l]
AJK[54][s] 24,491 2.76% 886,861 886,861
Sindh[51][r] 8,036 0.23% 3,472,508 3,472,508
Balochistan[53] 7,741 0.97% 799,625 799,625
Gilgit–Baltistan[54][t] 90 0.1% 89,697 89,697
Pakistan 931,489 4.8% 19,389,016 22,214,152

1931 census

Further information: West Punjab § Religion, North-West Frontier Province § Religion, Baluchistan Agency § Religion, and Jammu and Kashmir (princely state) § Religion

According to the 1931 census, the Hindu 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]

Sikhism in Pakistan by administrative division[f]
Administrative
division 		1931 census
Sikh Population Sikh Percentage Total Responses Total Population
Punjab[55][u] 1,180,789 8.41% 14,040,798 14,040,798
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa[57] 42,510 1.75% 2,425,076[l] 4,684,364[l]
AJK[59][y] 31,709 3.27% 969,578 969,578
Sindh[56][v] 19,172 0.47% 4,114,253 4,114,253
Balochistan[58] 8,425 0.97% 868,617 868,617
Gilgit–Baltistan[59][x] 93 0.1% 96,446 96,446
Pakistan 1,282,698 5.7% 22,514,768 24,774,056

1941 census

Further information: Religion in Pakistan § 1941 census, West Punjab § Religion, North-West Frontier Province § Religion, and Baluchistan Agency § Religion

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]

Sikhism in Pakistan by administrative division[a]
Administrative
division 		1941 Census
Sikh Population Sikh Percentage Total Responses Total Population
Punjab[4]: 42 [b] 1,530,112 8.82% 17,350,103 17,350,103
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa[61]: 22  57,939 1.91% 3,038,067[l] 5,415,666[l]
AJK[63]: 337–352 [w] 39,910 3.72% 1,073,154 1,073,154
Sindh[60]: 28 [z] 32,627 0.67% 4,840,795 4,840,795
Balochistan[62]: 13–18  12,044 1.4% 857,835 857,835
Gilgit–Baltistan[63]: 337–352 [aa] 121 0.1% 116,047 116,047
Pakistan 1,672,753 6.13% 27,266,001 29,643,600

1951 census

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

Sikhism in Pakistan by administrative division[g][26][27]
Administrative
division 		1951 census
Sikh Population Sikh Percentage Total Responses Total Population
Sindh 1,226 0.02% 6,047,748 6,054,474
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 215 0.004% 5,864,550 5,899,905
Punjab 35 0.0002% 20,636,702 20,651,140
Balochistan 0 0% 1,154,167 1,174,036
Pakistan 1,476 0.004% 33,703,167 33,779,555

2023 census

Geographical distribution - 2023
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

Geographical distribution

Punjab

Sikh Population History
Punjab, Pakistan
YearPop.±% p.a.
1881 272,908—    
1901 483,999+2.91%
1911 813,441+5.33%
1921 863,091+0.59%
1931 1,180,789+3.18%
1941 1,530,112+2.63%
1951 35−65.65%
1981 832+11.14%
2023 5,649+4.67%
Source: [ab][h][m][q][u][b][26][27][28][29][1]
Census of India, Census of Pakistan
A Sodhi Sikh, Lahore, 1875.
Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore (1914).
The Samadhi (mausoleum) of Ranjit Singh, Lahore, 1914.
Sikh girls school in Rawalpindi, circa 1920's (estimate)

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).[4]: 42 

Sikhs in the administrative divisions that compose the contemporary Punjab, Pakistan region (1881–1941)
District or Princely State 1881[64][65][66][67] 1901[68]: 34 [43] 1911[69]: 27 [70]: 27  1921[71]: 29  1931[72]: 277  1941[4]: 42 
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
Lahore District 125,591 13.59% 159,701 13.74% 169,008 16.31% 179,975 15.91% 244,304 17.72% 310,646 18.32%
Sialkot District 40,195 3.97% 50,982 4.7% 81,761 8.35% 74,939 7.99% 94,955 9.69% 139,409 11.71%
Gujranwala District 36,159 5.86% 51,607 6.82% 107,748 11.67% 50,802 8.15% 71,595 9.73% 99,139 10.87%
Rawalpindi District 17,780 2.17% 32,234 3.46% 31,839 5.81% 31,718 5.57% 41,265 6.51% 64,127 8.17%
Montgomery District 11,964 2.8% 19,092 4.12% 68,175 12.74% 95,520 13.38% 148,155 14.82% 175,064 13.17%
Jhelum District 11,188 1.9% 15,070 2.54% 24,436 4.78% 18,626 3.9% 22,030 4.07% 24,680 3.92%
Gujrat District 8,885 1.29% 24,893 3.32% 44,693 5.99% 49,456 6% 59,188 6.42% 70,233 6.36%
Shakargarh Tehsil[ac] 5,090 2.32% 6,557 2.8% 10,553 5.01% 12,303 5.78% 15,730 6.36% 20,573 7.06%
Shahpur District 4,702 1.12% 12,756 2.43% 33,456 4.87% 30,361 4.22% 40,074 4.88% 48,046 4.81%
Jhang District 3,477 0.88% 3,526 0.93% 19,427 3.77% 9,376 1.64% 8,476 1.27% 12,238 1.49%
Muzaffargarh District 2,788 0.82% 3,225 0.8% 6,322 1.11% 4,869 0.86% 5,287 0.89% 5,882 0.83%
Multan District 2,085 0.38% 4,662 0.66% 19,881 2.44% 18,562 2.08% 39,453 3.36% 61,628 4.15%
Bahawalpur State 1,678 0.29% 7,985 1.11% 16,630 2.13% 19,071 2.44% 34,896 3.54% 46,945 3.5%
Dera Ghazi Khan District 1,326 0.36% 1,027 0.22% 1,042 0.21% 932 0.2% 760 0.15% 1,072 0.18%
Lyallpur District[ad] — — 88,049 11.12% 146,670 17.1% 160,821 16.42% 211,391 18.36% 262,737 18.82%
Mianwali District — — 2,633 0.62% 4,881 1.43% 2,986 0.83% 4,231 1.03% 6,865 1.36%
Biloch Trans–Frontier Tract — — 0 0% 5 0.02% 0 0% 0 0% 2 0.005%
Attock District[ae] — — — — 26,914 5.18% 19,809 3.87% 19,522 3.34% 20,120 2.98%
Sheikhupura District[af] — — — — — — 82,965 15.86% 119,477 17.15% 160,706 18.85%
Total Sikhs 272,908 3.44% 483,999 4.64% 813,441 7.33% 863,091 7.26% 1,180,789 8.41% 1,530,112 8.82%
Total Population 7,942,399 100% 10,427,765 100% 11,104,585 100% 11,888,985 100% 14,040,798 100% 17,350,103 100%

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Sikh Population History
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 25,733—    
1911 30,345+1.66%
1921 28,040−0.79%
1931 42,510+4.25%
1941 57,939+3.14%
1951 215−42.86%
1981 729+4.15%
2023 4,050+4.17%
Source: [40][46][52][57][61][26][27][28][29][1]
Census of India, Census of Pakistan
45th Sikh Regiment escorting Afghan prisoners through the Khyber Pass during the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878)
Sikhs at the Peshawar Fort (1879–1880)
Akali Phula Singh Memorial in Nowshera (Late 19th or early 20th century)
52nd Sikh Regiment in Kohat, North-West Frontier Province (1905)
Sikh recruits at school in North-West Frontier Province (1933–1935)
Sikh sepoys, non-commissioned and Indian Officers in uniform and mufti in North-West Frontier Province (1933–1935)
Sikhs and Hindus of Bannu migrating to India during the partition of 1947.

During the colonial era (British India), prior to the partition in 1947, decadal censuses enumerated religion in North-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.[61]: 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).[61]: 22–23 

Sikhs in the districts of North–West Frontier Province (1921–1941)
District 1921[52] 1931[57] 1941[61]: 22–23 
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
Peshawar District 15,326 1.69% 24,271 2.49% 24,030 2.82%
Hazara District 4,850 0.78% 7,630 1.14% 9,220 1.16%
Bannu District 3,286 1.33% 5,482 2.03% 6,112 2.07%
Kohat District 2,674 1.25% 3,249 1.38% 4,349 1.5%
Dera Ismail Khan District 1,904 0.73% 1,878 0.69% 2,390 0.8%
Mardan District — — — — 11,838 2.34%
Total Sikhs 28,040 1.25% 42,510 1.75% 57,939 1.91%
Total Population 2,251,340 100% 2,425,076 100% 3,038,067 100%

At the tehsil level in North-West Frontier Province, as per the 1941 census, the largest Sikh concentrations existed in Peshawar 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), and Bannu Tehsil (2.82 percent or 5,285 persons).[61]: 30 

Sikhs in the tehsils of North–West Frontier Province (1921–1941)
Tehsil 1921[52]: 510–516  1931[57]: 393–396  1941[61]: 30 
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
Peshawar Tehsil 8,223 3.12% 9,736 3.49% 15,454 3.97%
Abbottabad Tehsil 3,344 1.44% 4,599 1.81% 6,035 1.96%
Mardan Tehsil 2,874 1.67% 5,174 2.61% 9,091 3.04%
Bannu Tehsil 2,777 1.95% 4,979 3.08% 5,285 2.82%
Nowshera Tehsil 2,380 1.6% 4,678 2.91% 6,636 3.04%
Kohat Tehsil 2,195 2.84% 2,184 2.47% 3,613 3.15%
Swabi Tehsil 1,062 0.67% 3,030 1.91% 2,747 1.33%
Haripur Tehsil 968 0.6% 2,019 1.19% 2,011 1.07%
Dera Ismail Khan Tehsil 884 0.57% 894 0.52% 1,740 0.93%
Tank Tehsil 811 1.36% 574 1.12% 401 0.72%
Charsadda Tehsil 787 0.48% 1,653 0.93% 1,940 0.79%
Marwat Tehsil 509 0.49% 503 0.46% 817 0.75%
Mansehra Tehsil 468 0.23% 966 0.46% 965 0.4%
Hangu Tehsil 434 0.97% 1,038 2.31% 650 1.05%
Kulachi Tehsil 209 0.46% 410 0.79% 249 0.45%
Amb Tehsil 70 0.32% 45 0.14% 195 0.41%
Teri Tehsil 45 0.05% 27 0.03% 86 0.08%
Phulra Tehsil 0 0% 1 0.02% 14 0.16%
Total Sikhs 28,040 1.25% 42,510 1.75% 57,929 1.91%
Total Population 2,251,340 100% 2,425,076 100% 3,038,067 100%

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.[61]: 19  Cities/urban areas in North-West Frontier Province with the largest Sikh concentrations included Mardan (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), and Abbottabad (9.77 percent or 2,680 persons).[61]: 19 

Sikhs in the cities of North-West Frontier Province (1921–1941)
City/Urban Area 1921[52]: 340–342  1931[57]: 257–259  1941[61]: 19 
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
Peshawar[ag] 6,152 5.89% 8,630 7.08% 14,245 8.21%
Bannu[ag] 2,421 10.88% 3,947 12.92% 4,894 12.71%
Kohat[ag] 2,139 7.68% 2,152 6.26% 3,562 7.92%
Mardan[ag] 1,679 15.36% 2,927 11.14% 6,014 14.15%
Nowshera[ah] 1,319 4.75% 3,042 10.5% 4,253 9.66%
Jamrud 1,254 20.46% — — — —
Abbottabad[ag] 879 6.45% 1,039 6.43% 2,680 9.77%
Dera Ismail Khan[ah] 724 1.84% 708 1.76% 1,412 2.75%
Risalpur 601 7.07% 314 3.92% 1,024 11.37%
Lakki[ai] 470 6.29% 268 3.48% 548 5.4%
Haripur 346 5.88% 696 9.09% 1,035 11.1%
Tank[ai] 344 3.17% 240 3.74% 181 1.99%
Nawan Shehr[ai] 246 4.83% 363 7.08% 309 4.82%
Kulachi[ai] 84 1.06% 128 1.52% 138 1.56%
Baffa[ai] 39 0.51% 86 1.19% 81 1.01%
Charsadda 30 0.29% 287 2.49% 294 1.75%
Cherat 8 3.07% 74 8.78% 25 7.42%
Tangi 1 0.01% 7 0.08% 2 0.02%
Parang 1 0.01% 0 0% 0 0%
Mansehra — — 469 8.11% 375 3.67%
Utmanzai — — — — 171 1.69%
Kot Najibullah — — — — 156 2.94%
Total Urban Sikh Population 18,737 5.58% 25,377 6.57% 41,399 7.5%
Total Urban Population 335,849 100% 386,177 100% 552,193 100%

Balochistan

According to the 1941 census, the Sikh population in Baluchistan Agency (the region that composes contemporary Balochistan, Pakistan) was approximately 12,044, or 1.4 percent of the total population.[62]: 13–18  At the district/princely state level in Baluchistan Agency, the largest Sikh concentrations existed in Quetta–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), and Chaghai District (0.6 percent or 181 persons).[62]: 13–18 

Sikhs in the districts and princely states of Baluchistan Agency (1941)[62]: 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 of Baluchistan Agency was approximately 11,041, or 9.7 percent of the total urban population.[62]: 13–14  Cities/urban areas in Baluchistan Agency with the largest Sikh concentrations included Loralai (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), and Pishin (9.68 percent or 183 persons).[62]: 13–14 

Sikhs in the cities of Baluchistan Agency (1941)[62]: 13–14 
City/Urban Area Sikhism
Population Percentage
Quetta[aj] 7,364 11.42%
Loralai[aj] 1,116 21.9%
Fort Sandeman[aj] 1,004 10.73%
Chaman[aj] 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%

Religious Persecution

In Pakistan multiple incidents of discrimination against religious minorities have occurred. These attacks are usually blamed on religious extremists but certain laws in the Pakistan Criminal Code and government inaction are also thought to cause these attacks to surge.[73][74] Sunni militant groups operate with impunity across Pakistan, as law enforcement officials either turn a blind eye or appear helpless to prevent widespread attacks against religious minorities.[74] Sikhs have been victims of massacres, targeted assassinations and forced conversions, mostly in Peshawar.[75][76][77] Non-Muslim Pakistanis, including Sikhs, continue to grapple with significant challenges of persecution and religious discrimination. In response to alleged death threats, numerous Sikh families have sought refuge in other nations deemed "safer" to secure their well-being.[78]

Attack on Sikh Community

The Sikh community protested in Pakistan for their absence in census of 2017.

In 2009, the Taliban in Pakistan demanded that Sikhs in the region pay them the jizya (poll tax levied by Muslims on non-Muslim minorities).[79] In 2010, the Taliban attacked many minorities including Sikhs resulting in two beheadings.[80]

Pakistani Sikh diaspora

Many Pakistani Sikhs have emigrated to countries like the United Kingdom (UK), Canada and Thailand. 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 the United Arab Emirates.[81]

Notable Pakistani Sikhs

Following are some of notable Pakistani Sikhs:

Sikh Gurdwaras in Pakistan

Main article: List of Gurdwaras in Pakistan

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e 1941 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all administrative divisions that compose the region of contemporary Pakistan, including Punjab,[4]: 42 [b] Sindh,[60]: 28 [z] Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,[61]: 22 [l] Balochistan,[62]: 13–18  Azad Jammu and Kashmir,[63]: 337–352 [w] and Gilgit–Baltistan.[63]: 337–352 [aa]
  2. ^ a b c d e 1941 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all districts (Lahore, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Gujrat, Shahpur, Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Attock, Mianwali, Montgomery, Lyallpur, Jhang, Multan, Muzaffargargh, Dera Ghazi Khan), one tehsil (Shakargarh – then part of Gurdaspur District), one princely state (Bahawalpur), and one tract (Biloch Trans–Frontier) in Punjab Province, British India that ultimately fell on the western side of the Radcliffe Line. See 1941 census data here: [4]: 42 
    Immediately following the partition of India in 1947, these districts and tract would ultimately make up the subdivision of West Punjab, which also later included Bahawalpur. The state that makes up this region in the contemporary era is Punjab, Pakistan.
  3. ^ a b c d e 1901 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all administrative divisions that compose the region of contemporary Pakistan, including Punjab,[38][h] Sindh,[39][i] Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,[40] Balochistan,[41] Azad Jammu and Kashmir,[42][j] and Gilgit–Baltistan.[42][k]
  4. ^ a b c d e f 1911 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all administrative divisions that compose the region of contemporary Pakistan, including Punjab,[44][m] Sindh,[45][n] Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,[46] Balochistan,[47] Azad Jammu and Kashmir,[48][o] and Gilgit–Baltistan.[48][p]
  5. ^ a b c d 1921 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all administrative divisions that compose the region of contemporary Pakistan, including Punjab,[50][q] Sindh,[51][r] Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,[52] Balochistan,[53] Azad Jammu and Kashmir,[54][s] and Gilgit–Baltistan.[54][t]
  6. ^ a b c d e 1931 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all administrative divisions that compose the region of contemporary Pakistan, including Punjab,[55][u] Sindh,[56][v] Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,[57] Balochistan,[58] Azad Jammu and Kashmir,[59][w] and Gilgit–Baltistan.[59][x]
  7. ^ a b c 1951 figure taken from census data by combining the total "Other" religious population of all administrative divisions that compose the region of contemporary Pakistan, including Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan.[26][27]
  8. ^ a b c 1901 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all districts (Lahore, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Shahpur, Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Mianwali, Montgomery, Lyallpur (inscribed as the Chenab Colony on the 1901 census), Jhang, Multan, Muzaffargargh, Dera Ghazi Khan), one tehsil (Shakargarh – then part of Gurdaspur District), one princely state (Bahawalpur), and one tract (Biloch Trans–Frontier) in Punjab Province, British India that ultimately fell on the western side of the Radcliffe Line. See 1901 census data here: [38]
    Immediately following the partition of India in 1947, these districts and tract would ultimately make up the subdivision of West Punjab, which also later included Bahawalpur. The state that makes up this region in the contemporary era is Punjab, Pakistan.
  9. ^ a b 1901 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all districts (Karachi, Hyderabad, Shikarpur, Tharparkar, Upper Sind Frontier), and one princely state (Khairpur), in Sindh Province, British India. See 1901 census data here: [39]
  10. ^ a b 1901 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of two districts (Bhimber and Muzaffarabad) and one Jagir (Poonch) in the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir that ultimately would be administered by Pakistan, in the contemporary self-administrative territory of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. See 1901 census data here:[42]
  11. ^ a b 1901 figure taken from census data using the total population of Gilgit District in the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir that ultimately would be administered by Pakistan, in the contemporary administrative territory of Gilgit–Baltistan. See 1901 census data here:[42]
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Religious data only collected in North West Frontier Province, and not in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Total responses to religion includes North West Frontier Province, and total population includes both North West Frontier Province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, both administrative divisions which later amalgamated to become Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
  13. ^ a b c 1911 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all districts (Lahore, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Shahpur, Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Attock, Mianwali, Montgomery, Lyallpur, Jhang, Multan, Muzaffargargh, Dera Ghazi Khan), one tehsil (Shakargarh – then part of Gurdaspur District), one princely state (Bahawalpur), and one tract (Biloch Trans–Frontier) in Punjab Province, British India that ultimately fell on the western side of the Radcliffe Line. See 1911 census data here: [44][49]
    Immediately following the partition of India in 1947, these districts and tract would ultimately make up the subdivision of West Punjab, which also later included Bahawalpur. The state that makes up this region in the contemporary era is Punjab, Pakistan.
  14. ^ a b 1911 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all districts (Hyderabad, Karachi, Larkana, Sukkur, Tharparkar, Upper Sind Frontier), and one princely state (Khairpur), in Sindh Province, British India. See 1911 census data here: [45]
  15. ^ a b 1911 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of two districts (Mirpur and Muzaffarabad) and one Jagir (Poonch) in the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir that ultimately would be administered by Pakistan, in the contemporary self-administrative territory of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. See 1911 census data here:[48]
  16. ^ a b 1911 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of Gilgit District and the Frontier Ilaqas in the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir that ultimately would be administered by Pakistan, in the contemporary administrative territory of Gilgit–Baltistan. See 1911 census data here:[48]
  17. ^ a b c 1921 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all districts (Lahore, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Gujrat, Shahpur, Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Attock, Mianwali, Montgomery, Lyallpur, Jhang, Multan, Muzaffargargh, Dera Ghazi Khan), one tehsil (Shakargarh – then part of Gurdaspur District), one princely state (Bahawalpur), and one tract (Biloch Trans–Frontier) in Punjab Province, British India that ultimately fell on the western side of the Radcliffe Line. See 1921 census data here: [50]
    Immediately following the partition of India in 1947, these districts and tract would ultimately make up the subdivision of West Punjab, which also later included Bahawalpur. The state that makes up this region in the contemporary era is Punjab, Pakistan.
  18. ^ a b 1921 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all districts (Hyderabad, Karachi, Larkana, Nawabshah, Sukkur, Tharparkar, Upper Sind Frontier), and one princely state (Khairpur), in Sindh Province, British India. See 1921 census data here: [51]
  19. ^ a b 1921 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of two districts (Mirpur and Muzaffarabad) and one Jagir (Poonch) in the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir that ultimately would be administered by Pakistan, in the contemporary self-administrative territory of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. See 1921 census data here:[54]
  20. ^ a b 1921 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of Gilgit District and the Frontier Ilaqas in the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir that ultimately would be administered by Pakistan, in the contemporary administrative territory of Gilgit–Baltistan. See 1921 census data here:[54]
  21. ^ a b c 1931 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all districts (Lahore, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Gujrat, Shahpur, Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Attock, Mianwali, Montgomery, Lyallpur, Jhang, Multan, Muzaffargargh, Dera Ghazi Khan), one tehsil (Shakargarh – then part of Gurdaspur District), one princely state (Bahawalpur), and one tract (Biloch Trans–Frontier) in Punjab Province, British India that ultimately fell on the western side of the Radcliffe Line. See 1931 census data here: [55]
    Immediately following the partition of India in 1947, these districts and tract would ultimately make up the subdivision of West Punjab, which also later included Bahawalpur. The state that makes up this region in the contemporary era is Punjab, Pakistan.
  22. ^ a b 1931 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all districts (Hyderabad, Karachi, Larkana, Nawabshah, Sukkur, Tharparkar, Upper Sind Frontier), and one princely state (Khairpur), in Sindh Province, British India. See 1931 census data here: [56]
  23. ^ a b c 1941 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of two districts (Mirpur and Muzaffarabad) and one Jagir (Poonch) in the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir that ultimately would be administered by Pakistan, in the contemporary self-administrative territory of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. See 1941 census data here:[63]: 337–352 
  24. ^ a b 1931 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of Gilgit District and the Frontier Ilaqas in the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir that ultimately would be administered by Pakistan, in the contemporary administrative territory of Gilgit–Baltistan. See 1931 census data here:[59]
  25. ^ 1931 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of two districts (Mirpur and Muzaffarabad) and one Jagir (Poonch) in the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir that ultimately would be administered by Pakistan, in the contemporary self-administrative territory of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. See 1931 census data here:[59]
  26. ^ a b 1941 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all districts (Dadu, Hyderabad, Karachi, Larkana, Nawabshah, Sukkur, Tharparkar, Upper Sind Frontier), and one princely state (Khairpur), in Sindh Province, British India. See 1941 census data here: [60]
  27. ^ a b 1941 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of one district (Astore) and one agency (Gilgit) in the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir that ultimately would be administered by Pakistan, in the contemporary administrative territory of Gilgit–Baltistan. See 1941 census data here:[63]: 337–352 
  28. ^ 1881 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all districts (Lahore, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Shahpur, Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Montgomery, Jhang, Multan, Muzaffargargh, Dera Ghazi Khan), one tehsil (Shakargarh – then part of Gurdaspur District), and one princely state (Bahawalpur) in Punjab Province, British India that ultimately fell on the western side of the Radcliffe Line. See 1881 census data here: [64][65][66]
    Immediately following the partition of India in 1947, these districts and tract would ultimately make up the subdivision of West Punjab, which also later included Bahawalpur. The state that makes up this region in the contemporary era is Punjab, Pakistan.
  29. ^ Part of Gurdaspur District which was awarded to Pakistan as part of the Radcliffe Line.
  30. ^ District formerly inscribed as the Chenab Colony on the 1901 census, later renamed to Lyallpur District, created between Jhang District, Gujranwala District, Lahore District, Montgomery District, and Multan District to account for the large population increase in the region, primarily due to the Chenab Canal Colony.
  31. ^ District created in 1904 by taking Talagang Tehsil from Jhelum District and Pindi Gheb, Fateh Jang and Attock Tehsils from Rawalpindi District.
  32. ^ District created between Gujranwala District, Sialkot District, Amritsar District, Lahore District, Montgomery District, and Lyallpur District in 1920 to account for the large population increase in the region, primarily due to the Chenab Canal Colony.
  33. ^ a b c d e Includes total Municipality and Cantonment population.
  34. ^ a b Includes total Cantonment and Notified area population.
  35. ^ a b c d e Includes total Notified area population.
  36. ^ a b c d Includes town and cantonment

References

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