Sikhism in Pakistan

Last updated

Sikhism in Pakistan Flag of Pakistan.svg
Khanda (Sikh Symbol).svg
Inside view of the entrance - Gurdwara Janam Asthan.jpg
Total population
15,998Increase2.svg(2023 census) [1]
Regions with significant populations
Punjab 5,649
Sindh 5,182
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 4,050
Balochistan 1,057
Languages
PunjabiUrdu   Pashto   Sindhi   Balochi   Pakistani English

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.

Contents

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, [lower-alpha 1] 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. [lower-alpha 2] At the time of the Partition of India in 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). After the Partition of Punjab, many Sikhs in Pakistan felt unsafe due to the occurrence of severe riots and mass scale persecution over there; soon, almost the entire Sikh population left Pakistan's West Punjab for India's East Punjab 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 Man in turban in Old Town, Karachi, India. Photograph, 1897. Wellcome V0029262.jpg
Photograph of a Sikh health worker of the Karachi Plague Committee in Old Town, Karachi, by R. Jalbhoy, 1897
Gurdwara Dera Sahib, Lahore Samadhi Ranjeet Singh.jpg
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 Panja Sahib.jpg
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 Gurdwara-School inner front.JPG
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 Sikhs 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

Modern era

Historical Sikh Population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1941 1,672,753    
1951 3,612−45.87%
202315,998+2.09%
Source: [lower-alpha 1]
Census of India, Census of Pakistan [1]

According to the Government of Pakistan's National Database and Registration Authority, there were 6,146 Sikhs registered in Pakistan in 2012. [26] A 2010 survey by the Sikh Resource and Study Centre reported 50,000 Sikhs living in Pakistan. [27] Most are settled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa followed by Sindh and Punjab. [28] Other sources, including the US Department of State, claim the Sikh population in Pakistan to be as high as 20,000. [29] [30] 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. [31] 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):

Pakistani Sikhs by Province - 2023 Census [1]
ProvinceTotal PopulationUrbanRuralMaleFemale
Punjab 5,6494,3541,2952,9752,667
Sindh 5,1823,5401,6422,7822,382
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 4,0502,4301,6202,0841,964
Balochistan 1,057468589633420
Islamabad 6037233624
Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan 15,98810,8295,1698,5107,457
Geographical distribution - 2023 Sikhism in Pakistan - 2023 Census.png
Geographical distribution - 2023


Colonial era

According to the 1941 census, the Sikh population in Pakistan comprised roughly 1.67 million persons or 6.1 percent of the total population. [lower-alpha 1] 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. [lower-alpha 1]

Sikhism in Pakistan by administrative division [lower-alpha 1]
Administrative
division
1941 Census
Sikh PopulationSikh PercentageTotal ResponsesTotal Population
Punjab [4] :42 [lower-alpha 2] 1,530,11217,350,10317,350,103
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [34] :2257,9393,038,067 [lower-alpha 4] 5,415,666 [lower-alpha 4]
AJK [36] :337–352 [lower-alpha 5] 39,9101,073,1541,073,154
Sindh [33] :28 [lower-alpha 3] 32,6274,840,7954,840,795
Balochistan [35] :13–1812,044857,835857,835
Gilgit–Baltistan [36] :337–352 [lower-alpha 6] 121116,047116,047
Pakistan 1,672,75327,266,00129,643,600

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%
20235,649+7.32%
Source: [lower-alpha 7] [lower-alpha 8] [lower-alpha 9] [lower-alpha 10] [lower-alpha 11] [lower-alpha 2] [44] :21
Census of India, Census of Pakistan [1]
A Sodhi Sikh, Lahore, 1875. A Sodhee Sikh, Lahore.jpg
A Sodhi Sikh, Lahore, 1875.
Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore (1914). True-colour photograph - Lahore, India (now Pakistan). Sikh Temple in 1914 (Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore).jpg
Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore (1914).
The Samadhi (mausoleum) of Ranjit Singh, Lahore, 1914. True-colour photograph - Lahore, India (now Pakistan) in 1914 - The Samadhi (mausoleum) of Ranjit Singh, "Sher-e-Punjab" ("the Lion of Punjab"), Maharajah of Punjab and the Sikh Empire (1780-1839) 01.jpg
The Samadhi (mausoleum) of Ranjit Singh, Lahore, 1914.
Sikh girls school in Rawalpindi, circa 1920's (estimate) Sikh girls school in Rawalpindi, circa 1920's (estimate).jpg
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. [lower-alpha 2] 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 [37] [38] [39] [45] 1901 [40] :34 [46] :621911 [41] :27 [47] :271921 [42] :291931 [43] :2771941 [4] :42
Pop. %Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%
Lahore District 125,591159,701169,008179,975244,304310,646
Sialkot District 40,19550,98281,76174,93994,955139,409
Gujranwala District 36,15951,607107,74850,80271,59599,139
Rawalpindi District 17,78032,23431,83931,71841,26564,127
Montgomery District 11,96419,09268,17595,520148,155175,064
Jhelum District 11,18815,07024,43618,62622,03024,680
Gujrat District 8,88524,89344,69349,45659,18870,233
Shakargarh Tehsil [lower-alpha 12] 5,0906,55710,55312,30315,73020,573
Shahpur District 4,70212,75633,45630,36140,07448,046
Jhang District 3,4773,52619,4279,3768,47612,238
Muzaffargarh District 2,7883,2256,3224,8695,2875,882
Multan District 2,0854,66219,88118,56239,45361,628
Bahawalpur State 1,6787,98516,63019,07134,89646,945
Dera Ghazi Khan District 1,3261,0271,0429327601,072
Lyallpur District [lower-alpha 13] 88,049146,670160,821211,391262,737
Mianwali District 2,6334,8812,9864,2316,865
Biloch Trans–Frontier Tract05002
Attock District [lower-alpha 14] 26,91419,80919,52220,120
Sheikhupura District [lower-alpha 15] 82,965119,477160,706
Total Sikhs272,908483,999813,441863,0911,180,7891,530,112
Total Population7,942,39910,427,76511,104,58511,888,98514,040,79817,350,103

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Sikh Population History
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
YearPop.±% p.a.
1921 28,040    
1931 42,510+4.25%
1941 57,939+3.14%
1951 215−42.86%
2023 4,050+4.16%
Source: [48] [49] [34] [44] :9 [1]
Census of India, Census of Pakistan
45th Sikh Regiment escorting Afghan prisoners through the Khyber Pass during the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878) 45th Sikh Regiment escorting prisoners - 2nd afghan war.jpg
45th Sikh Regiment escorting Afghan prisoners through the Khyber Pass during the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878)
Sikhs at the Peshawar Fort (1879-1880) Peshawar Fort WDL11466.png
Sikhs at the Peshawar Fort (1879–1880)
Akali Phula Singh Memorial in Nowshera (Late 19th or early 20th century) Akali Phula Singh Memorial.jpg
Akali Phula Singh Memorial in Nowshera (Late 19th or early 20th century)
52nd Sikh Regiment in Kohat, North-West Frontier Province (1905) The 52nd Sikh Regiment at Kohat, North-West Frontier Province in 1905 (1).jpg
52nd Sikh Regiment in Kohat, North-West Frontier Province (1905)
Sikh recruits at school in North-West Frontier Province (1933-1935) Sikh recruits at school (16074954163).jpg
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) Sikh sepoys, non-commissioned and Indian Officers in uniform and mufti (16669127486).jpg
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. Hindus and Sikhs Migration to India.jpg
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. [34] :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). [34] :22–23

Sikhs in the districts of North–West Frontier Province (1921–1941)
District 1921 [48] :344–3461931 [49] :373–3751941 [34] :22–23
Pop. %Pop.%Pop.%
Peshawar District 15,32624,27124,030
Hazara District 4,8507,6309,220
Bannu District 3,2865,4826,112
Kohat District 2,6743,2494,349
Dera Ismail Khan District 1,9041,8782,390
Mardan District 11,838
Total Sikhs28,04042,51057,939
Total Population2,251,3402,425,0763,038,067

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). [34] :30

Sikhs in the tehsils of North–West Frontier Province (1921–1941)
Tehsil 1921 [48] :510–5161931 [49] :393–3961941 [34] :30
Pop. %Pop.%Pop.%
Peshawar Tehsil 8,2239,73615,454
Abbottabad Tehsil 3,3444,5996,035
Mardan Tehsil 2,8745,1749,091
Bannu Tehsil 2,7774,9795,285
Nowshera Tehsil 2,3804,6786,636
Kohat Tehsil 2,1952,1843,613
Swabi Tehsil 1,0623,0302,747
Haripur Tehsil 9682,0192,011
Dera Ismail Khan Tehsil 8848941,740
Tank Tehsil 811574401
Charsadda Tehsil 7871,6531,940
Marwat Tehsil 509503817
Mansehra Tehsil 468966965
Hangu Tehsil 4341,038650
Kulachi Tehsil 209410249
Amb Tehsil 7045195
Teri Tehsil 452786
Phulra Tehsil 0114
Total Sikhs28,04042,51057,929
Total Population2,251,3402,425,0763,038,067

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. [34] :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). [34] :19

Sikhs in the cities of North-West Frontier Province (1921–1941)
City/Urban Area 1921 [48] :340–3421931 [49] :257–2591941 [34] :19
Pop. %Pop.%Pop.%
Peshawar [lower-alpha 16] 6,1528,63014,245
Bannu [lower-alpha 16] 2,4213,9474,894
Kohat [lower-alpha 16] 2,1392,1523,562
Mardan [lower-alpha 16] 1,6792,9276,014
Nowshera [lower-alpha 17] 1,3193,0424,253
Jamrud 1,254
Abbottabad [lower-alpha 16] 8791,0392,680
Dera Ismail Khan [lower-alpha 17] 7247081,412
Risalpur 6013141,024
Lakki [lower-alpha 18] 470268548
Haripur 3466961,035
Tank [lower-alpha 18] 344240181
Nawan Shehr [lower-alpha 18] 246363309
Kulachi [lower-alpha 18] 84128138
Baffa [lower-alpha 18] 398681
Charsadda 30287294
Cherat 87425
Tangi 172
Parang 100
Mansehra 469375
Utmanzai 171
Kot Najibullah 156
Total Urban Sikh Population18,73725,37741,399
Total Urban Population335,849386,177552,193

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. [35] :13–18 At the district/princely state level in Baluchistan Agency, the largest Sikh concentrations existed in QuettaPishin 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). [35] :13–18

Sikhs in the districts and princely states of Baluchistan Agency (1941) [35] :13–18
District/
Princely State
Sikhism Khanda.svg
Population Percentage
QuettaPishin District8,787
Loralai District 1,124
Zhob District 1,076
Sibi District 566
Bolan District 184
Chaghai District 181
Kalat State 79
Las Bela State 47
Kharan State 0
Total Sikhs12,044
Total Population857,835

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. [35] :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). [35] :13–14

Sikhs in the cities of Baluchistan Agency (1941) [35] :13–14
City/Urban Area Sikhism Khanda.svg
Population Percentage
Quetta [lower-alpha 19] 7,364
Loralai [lower-alpha 19] 1,116
Fort Sandeman [lower-alpha 19] 1,004
Chaman [lower-alpha 19] 697
Sibi 362
Pishin 183
Machh 121
Usta 77
Bela 47
Kalat 33
Mastung 28
Panjgur 9
Pasni 0
Total Urban
Sikh Population
11,041
Total Urban
Population
114,060

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. [50] [51] 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. [51] Sikhs have been victims of massacres, targeted assassinations and forced conversions, mostly in Peshawar. [52] [53] [54] 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. [55]

Attack on Sikh Community

The Sikh community protested in Pakistan for their absence in census of 2017. Sikhs protest Pakistan.jpg
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). [56] In 2010, the Taliban attacked many minorities including Sikhs resulting in two beheadings. [57]

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. [58]

Notable Pakistani Sikhs

Following are some of notable Pakistani Sikhs:

Sikh Gurdwaras in Pakistan

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 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 [lower-alpha 2] Sindh, [33] :28 [lower-alpha 3] Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, [34] :22 [lower-alpha 4] Balochistan, [35] :13–18 Azad Jammu and Kashmir, [36] :337–352 [lower-alpha 5] and Gilgit–Baltistan. [36] :337–352 [lower-alpha 6]
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 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. 1 2 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: [33]
  4. 1 2 3 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.
  5. 1 2 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: [36] :337–352
  6. 1 2 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: [36] :337–352
  7. 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: [37] [38] [39]
    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.
  8. 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: [40] :34
    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. 1911 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 1911 census data here: [41] :27 [41] :27
    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.
  10. 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: [42] :29
    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.
  11. 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: [43] :277
    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.
  12. Part of Gurdaspur District which was awarded to Pakistan as part of the Radcliffe Line.
  13. 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.
  14. District created in 1904 by taking Talagang Tehsil from Jhelum District and Pindi Gheb, Fateh Jang and Attock Tehsils from Rawalpindi District.
  15. 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.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 Includes total Municipality and Cantonment population.
  17. 1 2 Includes total Cantonment and Notified area population.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 Includes total Notified area population.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Includes town and cantonment

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punjab</span> Geographical region in South Asia

Punjab, also known as the Land of the Five Rivers, is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is specifically located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern-Pakistan and northwestern-India. Punjab's major cities are Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Multan, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Sialkot, Chandigarh, Shimla, Jalandhar, Patiala, Gurugram, and Bahawalpur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punjab, Pakistan</span> Province of Pakistan

Punjab is a province of Pakistan. Located in the central-eastern region of the country, Punjab is the second-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the largest by population. Lahore is the capital and the largest city of the province. Other major cities include Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala and Multan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bahawalpur</span> City in Punjab, Pakistan

Bahawalpur is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is one of the ten largest cities of Pakistan and 6th most populous city of Punjab. Bahawalpur is the capital of Bahawalpur Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Punjab</span> Former province of Pakistan from 1947 to 1955

West Punjab was a province in the Dominion of Pakistan from 1947 to 1955. It was established from the western-half of British Punjab, following the independence of Pakistan. The province covered an area of 159,344 km sq, including much of the current Punjab province and the Islamabad Capital Territory, but excluding the former Princely state of Bahawalpur. Lahore, being the largest city and the cultural centre, served as the capital of the province. The province was composed of four divisions and was bordered by the state of Bahawalpur to the south-east, the province of Baluchistan to the south-west and Sind to the south, North-West Frontier Province to the north-west, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir to the north. It shared International border with Indian state of East Punjab to the east and Indian-administered Jammu & Kashmir to the north-east. It was dissolved and merged into West Pakistan upon creation of One Unit Scheme, in 1955.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bannu District</span> District in Pakistan

Bannu District is a district in the Bannu Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Its status as a district was formally recorded in 1861 during the British Raj.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peshawar District</span> District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan

Peshawar District is a district in the Peshawar Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located about 160 km west of the Pakistan's capital Islamabad. The district headquarter is the city of Peshawar, which is also the capital of Khyber Paktunkhwa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gurdaspur district</span> District in Punjab, India

Gurdaspur district is a district in the Majha region of the state of Punjab, India. Gurdaspur is the district headquarters. It internationally borders Narowal District of Pakistani Punjab, and the districts of Amritsar, Pathankot, Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur. Two main rivers Beas and Ravi passes through the district. The Mughal emperor Akbar is said to have been enthroned in a garden near Kalanaur, a historically important town in the district. The district is at the foothills of the Himalayas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa</span> City in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Nowshera is the capital city of Nowshera District in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is the 78th largest city in Pakistan and ninth largest city in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amritsar district</span> District in Punjab, India

Amritsar district is one of the twenty three districts that make up the Indian state of Punjab. Located in the Majha region of Punjab, the city of Amritsar is the headquarters of this district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punjab Province (British India)</span> Province of British India

The Punjab Province was a province of British India. Most of the Punjab region was annexed by the British East India Company on 29 March 1849; it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British control. In 1858, the Punjab, along with the rest of British India, came under the rule of the British Crown. It had a land area of 358,355 square kilometers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Punjab</span> Former province of India from 1947 to 1950

East Punjab was a province of India from 1947 until 1950. It consisted parts of the Punjab province that remained in India following the partition of the province between the new dominions of Pakistan and the Indian Union by the Radcliffe Commission in 1947. The mostly Muslim western parts of the old Punjab became Pakistan's West Punjab, later renamed as Punjab Province, while the mostly Hindu and Sikh eastern parts remained with India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Pakistan</span>

The official religion of Pakistan is Islam, as enshrined by Article 2 of the Constitution, and is practised by an overwhelming majority of 96.35% of the country's population. The remaining 3.65% practice Hinduism, Christianity, Ahmadiyya(considered non-Muslims by the Pakistani constitution), Sikhism and other religions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheikhupura District</span> District of Punjab in Pakistan

Sheikhupura District, is a district located in Lahore Division of Punjab Province, Pakistan. Sheikhupura is the headquarters of Sheikhupura district. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, the district had a population of 3,321,029 of which 25.45% were urban. In 2005 one of its subdivisions was split off to form the new Nankana Sahib District.

Shakargarh, is a tehsil located in Narowal District, Punjab, Pakistan. Shakargarh was the only tehsil of Gurdaspur district which was included in Pakistan at the time of the independence in 1947. The literacy rate of Shakargarh is more than 97.6%, the highest in Pakistan. Pakistan Standard Time is referenced from Shakargarh.

Punjab is home to 2.3% of India's population; with a density of 551 persons per km2. According to the provisional results of the 2011 national census, Punjab has a population of 27,743,338, making it the 16th most populated state in India. Of which male and female are 14,639,465 and 13,103,873 respectively. 32% of Punjab's population consists of Dalits. In the state, the rate of population growth is 13.9% (2011), lower than national average. Out of total population, 37.5% people live in urban regions. The total figure of population living in urban areas is 10,399,146 of which 5,545,989 are males and while remaining 4,853,157 are females. The urban population in the last 10 years has increased by 37.5%. According to the 2011 Census of India, Punjab, India has a population of around 27.7 million.

Religion in the Punjab in ancient history was characterized by Hinduism and later conversions to Jainism, Buddhism, Islam, Sikhism and Christianity; it also includes folk practices common to all Punjabis regardless of the religion they adhere to. Such practices incorporate local mysticism, including ancestral worship and worship of local saints of all faiths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in Punjab, India</span>

Islam is a minority religion in Punjab, India followed by 535,489 people constituting about 1.93 percent of the state population out of 27.7 million population as of 2011 census report.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinduism in Punjab, Pakistan</span> Overview of the role and impact of Hinduism in the Pakistani province of Punjab

Hinduism is a minority religion in Punjab province of Pakistan followed by about 0.19% of its population. Punjab has the second largest number of Hindus in Pakistan after Sindh. Hinduism is followed mainly in the Southern Punjab districts of Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalpur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinduism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa</span> Overview of Hinduism in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan

Hinduism is a minority religion in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province followed by 0.02% of the population of the province as per 2023 Census.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results Table-9 Population by sex, religion and rural/urban". Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  2. Gupta, Hari Ram (1991). History of the Sikhs. Munshiram Manoharlal. p. 201. ISBN   978-8121505154.
  3. Singh, Khushwant (2004). History of the Sikhs. Oxford University Press. p. viii. ISBN   978-0195673081.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 India Census Commissioner (1941). "Census of India, 1941. Vol. 6, Punjab". JSTOR   saoa.crl.28215541 . Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  5. "The Mutual Genocide of Indian Partition". The New Yorker . 22 June 2015.
  6. "Sikh farmers who migrated twice suffered the most during Partition". 15 August 2022.
  7. "Sikh pilgrims arrive in Pakistan to attend Guru Nanak's birth anniversary celebrations". thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  8. Kudaisya, Gyanesh; Yong, Tan Tai (2004). The Aftermath of Partition in South Asia. Routledge. p. 100. ISBN   978-1-134-44048-1. No sooner was it made public than the Sikhs launched a virulent campaign against the Lahore Resolution. Pakistan was portrayed as a possible return to an unhappy past when Sikhs were persecuted and Muslims the persecutor. Public speeches by various Sikh political leaders on the subject of Pakistan invariably raised images of atrocities committed by Muslims on Sikhs and of the martyrdom of their gurus and heroes. Reactions to the Lahore Resolution were uniformly negative and Sikh leaders of all political persuasions made it clear that Pakistan would be 'wholeheartedly resisted'. The Shiromani Akali Dal, the party with a substantial following amongst the rural Sikhs, organized several well-attended conferences in Lahore to condemn the Muslim League. Master Tara Singh, leader of the Akali Dal, declared that his party would fight Pakistan 'tooth and nail'. Not be outdone, other Sikh political organizations, rival to the Akali Dal, namely the Central Khalsa Young Men Union and the moderate and loyalist Chief Khalsa Dewan, declared in equally strong language their unequivocal opposition to the Pakistan scheme.
  9. "The villagers are proud of the link between Gah and the prime minister of India". Thenews.com.pk. Archived from the original on 4 October 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  10. "Singh's ancestral village, Gah, is located 25 kilometres west of Chakwal city and attracted journalists like moths to a flame following the former PM's rise to power". Dawn.com.
  11. ""Maryada may be in danger, but Sikhs are special in Pakistan"". The Tribune India. 4 October 2006.
  12. "[Chapter 1: Fundamental Rights] of [Part II: Fundamental Rights and Principles of Policy]". Pakistani.org. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
  13. "Sikhs of Narayanpura welcoming people from all walks of life to attend their celebrations such as Joti-Jot and the birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak". Dawn.com.
  14. "Ranchore Line's Narayanpura, an area where the Sikhs and the Hindus live together". Tribune.com.pk.
  15. "Partition Of The Punjab - 1947" Archived 29 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine 12 November 2006
  16. "India Uncut: Jaziya". Indiauncut.blogspot.com. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  17. "The Heart-rending Story of Afghani Sikhs" Archived 10 March 2006 at the Wayback Machine 4 October 2006
  18. "Many of the Sikhs displaced from the Tirah Valley have adopted Pashtun traditions and culture". Thediplomat.com.
  19. "25,000 Sikhs in the province – mostly in Buner, Swat, DI Khan, Bara, Khyber, Kurram and Orakzai agencies". Tribune.com/pk.
  20. Tahir, Zulqernain (20 December 2005). "First Sikh officer in Pakistan Army". Dawn.com. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  21. "Prominent Sikhs within Pakistan, those who have crossed difficult barriers to succeed in their life and careers". Dawn.com.
  22. "Pakistan passes Anand Karaj". September 2011.
  23. "Pakistan Minister gives assurances for enacting Sikh Marriage Act" 24 November 2007
  24. Malik, Arif (14 March 2018). "Punjab Assembly unanimously passes landmark bill to regulate Sikh marriages". Dawn. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  25. "Sindh Assembly approves Hindu Marriage Bill". Dawn. 15 February 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  26. "Over 35,000 Buddhists, Baha'is call Pakistan home". The Express Tribune . 2 September 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  27. "Pak NGO to resolve issues of Sikh community". The Times of India . Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  28. "Number of non-Muslim voters in Pakistan shows rise of over 30pc". 28 May 2018.
  29. "Pakistan's dwindling Sikh community wants improved security". Dawn.com. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  30. "Pakistan". State.gov. 14 September 2007. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
  31. Rana, Yudhvir (15 December 2022). "Pakistan census to have column for Sikhs | Amritsar News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 December 2022. He said roughly there were around 30,000-35,000 Sikhs in Pakistan.
  32. 1 2 https://www.dawn.com/news/1410442/number-of-non-muslim-voters-in-pakistan-shows-rise-of-over-30pc Dawn.com. 28 May 2018.
  33. 1 2 3 India Census Commissioner (1941). "Census of India, 1941. Vol. 12, Sind". JSTOR   saoa.crl.28215545 . Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  34. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 India Census Commissioner (1941). "Census of India, 1941. Vol. 10, North-West Frontier Province". JSTOR   saoa.crl.28215543 . Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  35. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 India Census Commissioner (1942). "Census of India, 1941. Vol. 14, Baluchistan". JSTOR   saoa.crl.28215993 . Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  36. 1 2 3 4 5 6 India Census Commissioner (1941). "Census of India, 1941. Vol. 22, Jammu & Kashmir". JSTOR   saoa.crl.28215644 . Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  37. 1 2 "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. I." 1881. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25057656 . Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  38. 1 2 "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. II". 1881. p. 520. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25057657 . Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  39. 1 2 "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. III". 1881. p. 250. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25057658 . Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  40. 1 2 "Census of India 1901. [Vol. 17A]. Imperial tables, I-VIII, X-XV, XVII and XVIII for the Punjab, with the native states under the political control of the Punjab Government, and for the North-west Frontier Province". 1901. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25363739 . Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  41. 1 2 3 "Census of India 1911. Vol. 14, Punjab. Pt. 2, Tables". 1911. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25393788 . Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  42. 1 2 "Census of India 1921. Vol. 15, Punjab and Delhi. Pt. 2, Tables". 1921. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25430165 . Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  43. 1 2 "Census of India 1931. Vol. 17, Punjab. Pt. 2, Tables". 1931. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25793242 . Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  44. 1 2 "Census of Pakistan, 1951 Population According to Religion Table 6" . Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  45. "Gazetteers Of Gurdaspur District, 1883-84". 1884. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  46. "Punjab District Gazetteers Gurdaspur District Vol.21 Statistical Tables". 1913. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  47. Kaul, Harikishan (1911). "Census Of India 1911 Punjab Vol XIV Part II" . Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  48. 1 2 3 4 {{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25430163 |jstor=saoa.crl.25430163 |access-date=2 February 2023 |title=Census of India 1921. Vol. 14, North-west Frontier Province : part I, Report; part II, Tables. |year=1921}}
  49. 1 2 3 4 Mallam, G. L.; Dundas, A. D. F. (1933). "Census of India, 1931, vol. XV. North-west frontier province. Part I-Report. Part II-Tables". Peshawar, Printed by the manager, Government stationery and printing, 1933. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25793233 . Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  50. "Timeline: Persecution of religious minorities". 4 November 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  51. 1 2 World Report 2014 (PDF). Human Rights Watch. 2011. pp. 366–372.
  52. "Popular Pakistani Sikh activist shot dead in Peshawar". Hindustan Times. 30 May 2018.
  53. "Three Sikh beheaded by Taliban in Pakistan". Economic Times. 22 February 2010.
  54. "India protests against Pakistan's move to convert Sikh gurdwara into mosque in Lahore". Deccan Chronicle. 28 July 2020.
  55. "Sikhs in Pakistan fear for lives as persecution rages on". international.la-croix.com. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  56. "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – World". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
  57. "Pak Sikhs seeks security, Indian citizenship". PunjabNewsline.com. 23 February 2010. Archived from the original on 27 February 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
  58. "Ethnic group by religion, April 2001: Census update". Statistics.gov.uk. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
  59. "Gurdeep Singh takes oath as first turban-clad Sikh Senator of Pakistan". 13 March 2021.