KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
29-Apr-2026
On April 29, marking the 40th year of the Khalistan Declaration, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), speaking from the Karachi Press Club in Pakistan, announced the launch of Khalistan Referendum voter registration for Sikhs in India. The group issued a message reaffirming what it described as a global Sikh commitment to the “liberation of Punjab” and the establishment of Khalistan. SFJ chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun claimed that Pakistan’s response to India had enhanced its global standing, alleging that recent developments had positioned the country as a rising power. He also stated that Field Marshal Asim Munir had emerged as a voice for peace during the US-Iran tensions, and asserted that former US President Donald Trump had acknowledged his role on multiple occasions.
03-Feb-2026
Banned Khalistani outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun alleged in a statement that India’s intelligence agency sponsored and orchestrated recent terrorist attacks in Balochistan, Pakistan. He claimed the attacks were aimed at destabilizing Pakistan, undermining the interests of Pakistan and the United States (US), and discouraging US investment in the country.
19-Jan-2026
According to a Khalsa Vox report published on January 19, Pakistani cinema is increasingly being used to promote anti-India propaganda and advance the Khalistani agenda by exploiting religious symbols and sacred sites. It notes that filmmakers restricted in India find refuge in Pakistan to produce unrestricted pro-Khalistan content that spreads widely on social media. The report also highlights how state-backed filmmakers, influencers, and media houses use cinema to deflect attention from Pakistan’s domestic failures, including corruption and misgovernance in Punjab. Additionally, it points out that Pakistani films have long portrayed Sikh characters—especially women—through controversial tropes such as Islamization and “conversion romance,” which Sikh leaders denounce as insulting.
06-Jan-2026
According to reports, Indian Sikh woman Sarabjit Kaur, who married a Pakistani national during a pilgrimage, is likely to be deported after being taken into custody by Pakistani authorities on January 4 for overstaying her single-entry visa.
05-Dec-2025
A recent report submitted to Pakistan’s Parliamentary Committee on Minority Caucus revealed that of 1,817 Hindu temples and Sikh gurdwaras in the country, only 37 remain operational. The findings highlight the worsening condition of centuries-old places of worship due to poor government maintenance and the shrinking Hindu and Sikh populations. Local activists have strongly criticised the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) for failing to maintain these sites and demanded that its leadership be handed over to a non-Muslim to ensure sincere restoration of neglected religious properties.
03-Dec-2025
Gopal Singh Chawla, a prominent Khalistan advocate in Pakistan and former president of the now-defunct Punjabi Sikh Sangat (PSS), has, through recently surfaced audio messages, accused Pakistani authorities and intelligence agencies of keeping him in prolonged isolation, harassment, and framing him with false allegations. He claims he has effectively been under house arrest for the past two and a half years at a so-called 'safe and protected' location under what he describes as a fabricated narrative that India poses a threat to his life. Chawla said he has repeatedly been denied permission to live with his family and has been allowed only four or five brief meetings with them, mostly at Gurdwara Sri Nankana Sahib. He reportedly told an associate that he has been removed from all public and community roles for more than two years—including the PSS, the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC), and other Sikh affairs. He alleges these restrictions are baseless and built on a manufactured security narrative.
27-Nov-2025
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, chief of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), issued a statement on social media dismissing Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh’s threat to seize Sindh as a bluff and urged Pakistan to open a pathway for Sikh recruitment into its armed forces. Pannun called on Pakistan to create a special list of Sikh volunteers and form a dedicated Sikh defense unit, to be deployed primarily in Sindh. He claimed that thousands of Sikhs worldwide would enlist if Pakistan issued a formal entry protocol. He also urged Sikh soldiers serving in the Indian military to refuse to fight for India, asserting that international law allows soldiers to decline participation in conflicts based on conscience.
26-Nov-2025
Former Sikh member of the Punjab Assembly Mahinder Pal Singh on November 26 filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking the “arrest and deportation” of an Indian Sikh woman, Sarabjeet Kaur, who married a local Muslim man, in Pakistan. Singh alleged that Kaur disappeared after arriving in Pakistan and was likely a “spy.” He further claimed that, despite her alleged criminal record, the Indian Government had granted her clearance to travel.
19-Nov-2025
The Lahore High Court has ordered authorities in Pakistan to stop harassing Sarabjeet Kaur, a Sikh woman who converted to Islam and married a local Muslim man she met on social media. Kaur was among nearly 2,000 Sikh pilgrims who entered Pakistan via the Wagah border earlier this month for Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary celebrations. According to a senior Lahore police officer, she married Nasir Hussain of Sheikhupura district on November 4, a day after her arrival.
15-Nov-2025
An Indian Sikh woman, Sarabjeet Kaur, who travelled to Pakistan earlier this month as part of a pilgrims’ group, has converted to Islam and married a Pakistani man she had known through social media for nearly a decade, Lahore Police said on November 15. Kaur was among nearly 2,000 Indian Sikh pilgrims who arrived in Pakistan on November 4 for Guru Nanak Dev’s birth anniversary celebrations. When the group returned to India on November 13, she was reported missing.
06-Nov-2025
On November 6, Pakistan rejected reports that Indian Hindus were denied entry as part of a Sikh jatha, calling the allegations “unfounded and misleading.” Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi stated, “Pakistan categorically rejects the unfounded and misleading allegations that members of the Hindu community were denied entry into its territory.”
21-Sep-2025
According to reports, Punjab Minister for Minorities Affairs and Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) president Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, along with committee members, attended the Nagar Kirtan procession at Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara, Pakistan, during the second day of the 486th death anniversary commemorations of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
20-Sep-2025
The Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) and the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) on September 20 urged India to allow Sikh pilgrims to attend the September 22 commemorative event for Guru Nanak Dev’s death anniversary at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur. India had closed the Attari-Wagah land border following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
16-Sep-2025
Top Indian intelligence sources said that the 2025 floods in Pakistan’s Punjab exposed systemic discrimination against Sikh-majority areas and shrines. While the Army rushed to Kartarpur Sahib to project itself as a protector of Sikh heritage, Nankana Sahib — Guru Nanak’s birthplace — faced neglect, with three deaths and 33 injuries reported and no visit from Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif nor Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz.
27-Aug-2025
Saifullah Khokar, head of the Kartarpur Corridor Project Management Unit, on August 27 told PTI that the entire Kartarpur Corridor complex, including Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, had been submerged by floodwaters from the Ravi River in Pakistan’s Narowal district. More than 100 people, mostly staff members, were stranded and were being rescued by boats and a helicopter. Akal Takht officiating Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj expressed deep concern and urged both India and Pakistan to take joint measures to protect the shrine from future floods. He emphasized the religious significance of Kartarpur Sahib as the final resting place of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism.
22-Aug-2025
According to a Khalsa Vox report, Pakistan’s security agencies are allegedly planning to exploit the upcoming visit of Indian Sikh pilgrims to push anti-India narratives. At an inter-agency meeting in Lahore on August 2, proposals were discussed to display banners and hold seminars alleging discrimination against Sikhs in India. While the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) opposed politicising pilgrimages, security agencies reportedly plan to amplify such narratives on social media platforms.
28-Jun-2025
On June 28, Pakistan observed the 186th death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh with solemn ceremonies at Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore in Pakistan, with the absence of Indian Sikhs casting a shadow over the event.
01-Jun-2025
In early June 2025, Pakistan’s Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) released the full schedule for two major Sikh religious events, inviting approximately 1,000 pilgrims from India and abroad, subject to travel clearance from Indian authorities. The events include the June 16 death anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev Ji at Gurdwara Dera Sahib and the June 29 commemoration of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at his samadhi, both located in Lahore, Pakistan.
20-May-2025
Khalistani terrorist and chief of the banned terror outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, was recently seen chanting slogans such as “Naara-e-Takbeer” (an Islamic phrase meaning “Cry of God’s greatness”) and “Pakistan Zindabad” during his appearance on Geo News, a Pakistani news channel.
20-May-2025
The Foreign Office of Pakistan, in a statement on May 20, categorically rejected India’s allegations of an attack on the Golden Temple, calling them baseless and misleading, and further claimed that on the night of May 6–7, India targeted places of worship in Pakistan.