Sikhism in Pakistan

{{Short description|Overview of the role and impact of Sikhism in Pakistan}}

{{Use Pakistani English|date=January 2013}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}

{{Infobox religious group

|group=Sikhism in Pakistan {{flagicon|Pakistan}}

|flag=Khanda (Sikh Symbol).svg

|flag_size=50px

|image=Inside view of the entrance - Gurdwara Janam Asthan.jpg

|image_caption=Gurdwara Janam Asthan

|population=15,998 {{increase}}(2023 census){{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/digital-census/detailed-results|title=7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results Table-9 Population by sex, religion and rural/urban|website=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics|access-date=14 September 2024}}

|languages=PunjabiUrdu{{•}}Pashto{{•}}Sindhi{{•}}Balochi{{•}}Pakistani English

|region1=Punjab

|pop1=5,649

|region2=Sindh

|pop2=5,182

|region3=Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

|pop3=4,050

|region4=Balochistan

|pop4=1,057

}}

{{Sikhism sidebar}}

Sikhism is the fourth largest religion in Pakistan with a population of more than 15,000 Sikhs, mostly residing in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, accounting for 0.01% of the country's population. Sikhism has an extensive heritage and history in the country, although Sikhs form a very small community in Pakistan today. Sikhism originated from what is now Punjab, Pakistan in the 15th century. Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak, 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.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zwFDAAAAYAAJ|title=History of the Sikhs|page=201|author= Gupta, Hari Ram|year=1991|publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal|isbn=978-8121505154}}{{Cite book|last=Singh|first=Khushwant|title= History of the Sikhs|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn= 978-0195673081 |page=viii|date=2004}}

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,{{efn|name=Pakistan1941}} 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.{{efn|name=WestPunjab1941|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: {{rp|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.}}

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.{{cite magazine | url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/06/29/the-great-divide-books-dalrymple | title=The Mutual Genocide of Indian Partition | magazine=The New Yorker | date=22 June 2015 }}{{cite web | url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/amritsar/sikh-farmers-who-migrated-twice-suffered-the-most-during-partition-8090621/ | title=Sikh farmers who migrated twice suffered the most during Partition | date=15 August 2022 }}

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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/551197-sikh-pilgrims-arrive-to-attend-guru-nanaks-birth-anniversary-celebrations|title=Sikh pilgrims arrive in Pakistan to attend Guru Nanak's birth anniversary celebrations|website=thenews.com.pk|language=en|access-date=2019-11-13}} 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 =

File:Man in turban in Old Town, Karachi, India. Photograph, 1897. Wellcome V0029262.jpgFile:Samadhi Ranjeet Singh.jpg

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.{{cite book |last1=Kudaisya |first1=Gyanesh |last2=Yong |first2=Tan Tai |title=The Aftermath of Partition in South Asia |date=2004 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-44048-1 |page=100 |language=en |quote=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.}}

== Partition of India (1947) ==

File:Panja Sahib.jpg 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.{{cite news|title=The villagers are proud of the link between Gah and the prime minister of India.|url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-9-129405-In-Manmohan-Singhs-village-Gah|website=Thenews.com.pk|access-date=10 March 2015|archive-date=4 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004171329/http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-9-129405-In-Manmohan-Singhs-village-Gah|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|title=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.|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1116453|website=Dawn.com}}

= Modern era =

Sikhs have mainly kept a low profile within the monolithic Muslim population of Pakistan.{{cite news|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030412/windows/main1.htm|title="Maryada may be in danger, but Sikhs are special in Pakistan"|newspaper=The Tribune India|date=4 October 2006}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.pakistani.org/pakistan/constitution/part2.ch1.html |title=[Chapter 1: Fundamental Rights] of [Part II: Fundamental Rights and Principles of Policy] |website=Pakistani.org |access-date=2010-08-13}} 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.{{cite news|title=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.|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1143743|website=Dawn.com}}{{cite news|title=Ranchore Line's Narayanpura, an area where the Sikhs and the Hindus live together|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/801343/praying-together-tensions-high-as-the-guru-granth-sahib-divides-two-minorities/|website=Tribune.com.pk}}

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 ==

File:Gurdwara-School inner front.JPG

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.[http://www.allaboutsikhs.com/events/partition1.htm "Partition Of The Punjab - 1947"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061029003934/http://allaboutsikhs.com/events/partition1.htm |date=29 October 2006 }} 12 November 2006 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.{{cite web|url=http://indiauncut.blogspot.com/2006/02/jaziya.html|title=India Uncut: Jaziya|website=Indiauncut.blogspot.com|access-date=16 December 2018}} 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.[http://www.sikhreview.org/december2001/terror.htm "The Heart-rending Story of Afghani Sikhs"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060310105155/http://www.sikhreview.org/december2001/terror.htm |date=10 March 2006 }} 4 October 2006 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.{{cite news|title=Many of the Sikhs displaced from the Tirah Valley have adopted Pashtun traditions and culture.|url=https://thediplomat.com/2014/09/the-killing-of-the-sikhs/|website=Thediplomat.com}}{{cite news|title=25,000 Sikhs in the province – mostly in Buner, Swat, DI Khan, Bara, Khyber, Kurram and Orakzai agencies.|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/685962/-thinking-about-the-big-move-the-sikh-way-of-life-changing-in-khyber-pakhtunkhwa/|website=Tribune.com/pk}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/170697|title=First Sikh officer in Pakistan Army|first=Zulqernain|last=Tahir|date=20 December 2005|website=Dawn.com|access-date=16 December 2018}} Other prominent Sikhs are Inspector Amarjeet Singh of Pakistan Rangers and Lance-naik Behram Singh of Pakistan Coast Guard.{{cite news|title=Prominent Sikhs within Pakistan, those who have crossed difficult barriers to succeed in their life and careers.|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1143743|website=Dawn.com}}

In 2007, the Pakistan Government enacted the Sikh marriage act that allows Sikh marriages in Pakistan be registered.{{cite web |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/india-rejected-separate-sikh-marriage-act-which-pak-enacted-4-yrs-ago/840000/ |title=Pakistan passes Anand Karaj |date=September 2011 }}[http://www.topnews.in/pakistan-minister-gives-assurances-enacting-sikh-marriage-act-27314 "Pakistan Minister gives assurances for enacting Sikh Marriage Act"] 24 November 2007 In 2017, the Punjab legislative assembly passed the Anand Karaj act thereby allowing the Sikh marriage in Punjab province be registered.{{Cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1395216|title=Punjab Assembly unanimously passes landmark bill to regulate Sikh marriages|newspaper=Dawn|first=Arif |last=Malik|date=14 March 2018|access-date=29 January 2021}} In the Sindh province, the Sikh marriages are registered under the Sindh Hindu Marriage Act of 2016.{{cite news|title=Sindh Assembly approves Hindu Marriage Bill|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1239719|newspaper=Dawn|date=15 February 2016|access-date=29 January 2021}}

Demographics

{{Historical populations

|title = Sikh Population History
Pakistan

|type =

|footnote =

|align = right

|width =

|state =

|shading =

|pop_name =

|percentages = pagr

|source = {{efn|name=Pakistan1901}}{{efn|name=Pakistan1911}}{{efn|name=Pakistan1921}}{{efn|name=Pakistan1931}}{{efn|name=Pakistan1941}}{{efn|name=Pakistan1951}}{{cite web|url=https://repository.lahoreschool.edu.pk/xmlui/handle/123456789/14529|title=1981 Census Report of Pakistan |author=Population Census Organisation Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad|pages=68|access-date=17 November 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://repository.lahoreschool.edu.pk/xmlui/handle/123456789/14539|title=Handbook of Population Census Data, 1981 |author=Population Census Organisation Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad|pages=13|access-date=17 November 2024}}{{cite web|title=Religious Minorities in Pakistan|url=https://www.refworld.org/reference/countryrep/mrgi/2002/en/46104|author=Dr Iftikhar H. Malik|format=PDF|access-date=12 February 2020|pages=10|archive-date=1 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201143205/https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/469cbfc30.pdf%26ved%3D2ahUKEwjdnbSQwLTuAhV97XMBHX65D38QFjATegQIEBAB%26usg%3DAOvVaw1Uqem-Qrs9BEylljAYl6hm|url-status=live}}
{{smaller|Census of India, Census of Pakistan}}

|1901 | 529,910

|1911 | 884,987

|1921 | 931,489

|1931 | 1,282,698

|1941 | 1,672,753

|1951 | 1,476

|1981 | 2,146

|1990 | 2,898

|1993 | 3,374

|2023 | 15,998

}}

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,{{efn|name=Pakistan1901}} followed by an increase to around 884,987 persons or to 4.7 percent in 1911.{{efn|name=Pakistan1911}} The Sikh population would rise to approximately 931,489 persons in 1921 with the share of the total population rising to 4.8 percent,{{efn|name=Pakistan1911}} further increasing to 5.7 percent in 1931, with total Sikh population growing to roughly 1,282,698 persons.{{efn|name=Pakistan1931}}

According to the Government of Pakistan's National Database and Registration Authority, there were 6,146 Sikhs registered in Pakistan in 2012.{{cite news |date=2 September 2012 |title=Over 35,000 Buddhists, Baha'is call Pakistan home |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/430059/over-35000-buddhists-bahais-call-pakistan-home/ |access-date=16 December 2018 |newspaper=The Express Tribune}} A 2010 survey by the Sikh Resource and Study Centre reported 50,000 Sikhs living in Pakistan.{{cite news |title=Pak NGO to resolve issues of Sikh community |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pak-NGO-to-resolve-issues-of-Sikh-community/articleshow/7382102.cms |access-date=16 December 2018 |newspaper=The Times of India}} Most are settled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa followed by Sindh and Punjab.{{Cite web |date=28 May 2018 |title=Number of non-Muslim voters in Pakistan shows rise of over 30pc |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1410442}} Other sources, including the US Department of State, claim the Sikh population in Pakistan to be as high as 20,000.{{cite web |date=17 April 2015 |title=Pakistan's dwindling Sikh community wants improved security |url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1176521 |access-date=16 December 2018 |website=Dawn.com}}{{cite web |date=14 September 2007 |title=Pakistan |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90233.htm |access-date=2010-08-13 |website=State.gov}} 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.{{Cite web |last=Rana |first=Yudhvir |date=December 15, 2022 |title=Pakistan census to have column for Sikhs {{!}} Amritsar News - Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/amritsar/pakistan-census-to-have-column-for-sikhs/articleshow/96239035.cms |access-date=2022-12-21 |website=The Times of India |language=en |quote=He said roughly there were around 30,000-35,000 Sikhs in Pakistan.}} 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 https://www.dawn.com/news/1410442/number-of-non-muslim-voters-in-pakistan-shows-rise-of-over-30pc Dawn.com. 28 May 2018.
  • 2018: 8,852 Sikh Voters

= 1901 census =

{{further|West Punjab#Religion|North-West Frontier Province#Religion|Baluchistan Agency#Religion|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.{{efn|name=Pakistan1901}} 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.{{efn|name=Pakistan1901}}

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Sikhism in Pakistan by administrative division{{efn|name=Pakistan1901|1901 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all administrative divisions that compose the region of contemporary Pakistan, including Punjab,{{efn|name=WestPunjab1901}} Sindh,{{efn|name=Sindh1901}} Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir,{{efn|name=AJK1901}} and Gilgit–Baltistan.{{efn|name=GilgitBaltistan1901}}}}

! rowspan="2" |Administrative
division

! colspan="4" |1901 census

Sikh Population

!Sikh Percentage

!Total Responses

!Total Population

Punjab{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25363739 |jstor=saoa.crl.25363739 |access-date=10 March 2024 |title=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. |year=1901 |pages=34}}{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.105602 |access-date=10 March 2024 |title=Punjab District Gazetteers Gurdaspur District Vol.21 Statistical Tables |year=1913 |pages=62}}{{efn|name=WestPunjab1901|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:
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.}}

| 483,999

| {{Percentage | 483999 | 10427765 | 2 }}

| 10,427,765

| 10,427,765

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25363739 |jstor=saoa.crl.25363739 |access-date=25 February 2024 |title=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. |year=1901 |pages=34–36}}

| 25,733

| {{Percentage | 25733 | 2050724 | 2 }}

| 2,050,724{{efn|name=KPKPop}}

| 2,125,480{{efn|name=KPKPop}}

AJK{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25366883 |jstor=saoa.crl.25366883 |access-date=3 November 2024 |title=Census of India 1901. Vol. 23A, Kashmir. Pt. 2, Tables. |year=1901 |pages=20}}{{efn|name=AJK1901|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:}}

| 17,132

| {{Percentage | 17132 | 872915 | 2 }}

| 872,915

| 872,915

Balochistan{{cite web |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25352844 |jstor=saoa.crl.25352844 |access-date=9 November 2024 |title=Census of India 1901. Vol. 5A, Baluchistan. Pt. 2, Imperial tables. |author1=India Census Commissioner |year=1901 |volume=5A |pages=5}}

| 2,972

| {{Percentage | 2972 | 810746 | 2 }}

| 810,746

| 810,746

Gilgit–Baltistan{{efn|name=GilgitBaltistan1901|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:}}

| 74

| {{Percentage | 74 | 60885 | 2 }}

| 60,885

| 60,885

Sindh{{cite web |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25366895 |jstor=saoa.crl.25366895 |access-date=12 May 2024 |title=Census of India 1901. Vols. 9-11, Bombay. |author1=India Census Commissioner |year=1901 |volume=9}}{{efn|name=Sindh1901|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: }}

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| 3,410,223

| 3,410,223

Pakistan

! 529,910

! {{Percentage | 529910 | 17633258 | 2 }}

! 17,633,258

! 17,708,014

= 1911 census =

{{further|West Punjab#Religion|North-West Frontier Province#Religion|Baluchistan Agency#Religion|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.{{efn|name=Pakistan1911}} 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.{{efn|name=Pakistan1911}}

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Sikhism in Pakistan by administrative division{{efn|name=Pakistan1911|1911 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all administrative divisions that compose the region of contemporary Pakistan, including Punjab,{{efn|name=WestPunjab1911}} Sindh,{{efn|name=Sindh1911}} Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir,{{efn|name=AJK1911}} and Gilgit–Baltistan.{{efn|name=GilgitBaltistan1911}}}}

! rowspan="2" |Administrative
division

! colspan="4" |1911 census

Sikh Population

!Sikh Percentage

!Total Responses

!Total Population

Punjab{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25393788 |jstor=saoa.crl.25393788 |access-date=3 March 2024 |title=Census of India 1911. Vol. 14, Punjab. Pt. 2, Tables. |year=1911 |pages=27}}{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.62718 |access-date=3 March 2024 |title=Census Of India 1911 Punjab Vol XIV Part II |year=1911 |author=Kaul, Harikishan |pages=27}}{{efn|name=WestPunjab1911|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:
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.}}

| 813,441

| {{Percentage | 813441 | 11104585 | 2 }}

| 11,104,585

| 11,104,585

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa{{cite web|url=http://piketty.pse.ens.fr/files/ideologie/data/CensusIndia/CensusIndia1911/1911%20-%20North%20West%20Frontier%20Province%20-%20Vol%20I%20and%20II.pdf|title=Census of India, 1911 Volume XII North-West Frontier Province|access-date=21 August 2022 |pages=307–308}}

| 30,345

| {{Percentage | 30345 | 2196933 | 2 }}

| 2,196,933{{efn|name=KPKPop}}

| 3,819,027{{efn|name=KPKPop}}

AJK{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25394111 |jstor=saoa.crl.25394111 |access-date=3 November 2024 |title=Census of India 1911. Vol. 20, Kashmir. Pt. 2, Tables. |year=1911 |pages=17}}{{efn|name=AJK1911|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:}}

| 20,391

| {{Percentage | 20391 | 854531 | 2 }}

| 854,531

| 854,531

Sindh{{cite web |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25393770 |jstor=saoa.crl.25393770 |access-date=12 May 2024 |title=Census of India 1911. Vol. 7, Bombay. Pt. 2, Imperial tables. |author1=India Census Commissioner |year=1911 |volume=7}}{{efn|name=Sindh1911|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: }}

| 12,339

| {{Percentage | 12339 | 3737223 | 2 }}

| 3,737,223

| 3,737,223

Balochistan{{cite web |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25393764 |jstor=saoa.crl.25393764 |access-date=9 November 2024 |title=Census of India 1911. Vol. 4, Baluchistan : pt. 1, Report; pt. 2, Tables. |author1=India Census Commissioner |year=1911 |volume=4 |pages=9–13}}

| 8,390

| {{Percentage | 8390 | 834703 | 2 }}

| 834,703

| 834,703

Gilgit–Baltistan{{efn|name=GilgitBaltistan1911|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:}}

| 81

| {{Percentage | 81 | 78404 | 2 }}

| 78,404

| 78,404

Pakistan

! 884,987

! {{Percentage | 884987 | 18806379 | 2 }}

! 18,806,379

! 20,428,473

= 1921 census =

{{further|West Punjab#Religion|North-West Frontier Province#Religion|Baluchistan Agency#Religion|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.{{efn|name=Pakistan1921}} 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.{{efn|name=Pakistan1921}}

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Sikhism in Pakistan by administrative division{{efn|name=Pakistan1921|1921 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all administrative divisions that compose the region of contemporary Pakistan, including Punjab,{{efn|name=WestPunjab1921}} Sindh,{{efn|name=Sindh1921}} Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir,{{efn|name=AJK1921}} and Gilgit–Baltistan.{{efn|name=GilgitBaltistan1921}}}}

! rowspan="2" |Administrative
division

! colspan="4" |1921 census

Sikh Population

!Sikh Percentage

!Total Responses

!Total Population

Punjab{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25430165 |jstor=saoa.crl.25430165 |access-date=17 February 2024 |title=Census of India 1921. Vol. 15, Punjab and Delhi. Pt. 2, Tables. |year=1921 |pages=29}}{{efn|name=WestPunjab1921|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:
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.}}

| 863,091

| {{Percentage | 863091 | 11888985 | 2 }}

| 11,888,985

| 11,888,985

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25430163|jstor=saoa.crl.25430163 |access-date=13 February 2023|title=Census of India 1921. Vol. 14, North-west Frontier Province : Part I, Report; part II, Tables |year=1922 |pages=345–346}}

| 28,040

| {{Percentage | 28040 | 2251340 | 2 }}

| 2,251,340{{efn|name=KPKPop}}

| 5,076,476{{efn|name=KPKPop}}

AJK{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25430177 |jstor=saoa.crl.25430177 |access-date=3 November 2024 |title=Census of India 1921. Vol. 22, Kashmir. Pt. 2, Tables. |year=1921 |pages=15}}{{efn|name=AJK1921|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:}}

| 24,491

| {{Percentage | 24491 | 886861 | 2 }}

| 886,861

| 886,861

Sindh{{cite web |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25394131 |jstor=saoa.crl.25394131 |access-date=6 May 2024 |title=Census of India 1921. Vol. 8, Bombay Presidency. Pt. 2, Tables : imperial and provincial. |author1=India Census Commissioner |year=1921 |volume=8}}{{efn|name=Sindh1921|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: }}

| 8,036

| {{Percentage | 8036 | 3472508 | 2 }}

| 3,472,508

| 3,472,508

Balochistan{{cite web |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25394124 |jstor=saoa.crl.25394124 |access-date=9 November 2024 |title=Census of India 1921. Vol. 4, Baluchistan : part I, Report; part II, Tables. |author1=India Census Commissioner |year=1921 |volume=4 |pages=47–52}}

| 7,741

| {{Percentage | 7741 | 799625 | 2 }}

| 799,625

| 799,625

Gilgit–Baltistan{{efn|name=GilgitBaltistan1921|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:}}

| 90

| {{Percentage | 90 | 89697 | 2 }}

| 89,697

| 89,697

Pakistan

! 931,489

! {{Percentage | 931489 | 19389016 | 2 }}

! 19,389,016

! 22,214,152

= 1931 census =

{{further|West Punjab#Religion|North-West Frontier Province#Religion|Baluchistan Agency#Religion|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.{{efn|name=Pakistan1931}} 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.{{efn|name=Pakistan1931}}

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Sikhism in Pakistan by administrative division{{efn|name=Pakistan1931|1931 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all administrative divisions that compose the region of contemporary Pakistan, including Punjab,{{efn|name=WestPunjab1931}} Sindh,{{efn|name=Sindh1931}} Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir,{{efn|name=AJK1941}} and Gilgit–Baltistan.{{efn|name=GilgitBaltistan1931}}}}

! rowspan="2" |Administrative
division

! colspan="4" |1931 census

Sikh Population

!Sikh Percentage

!Total Responses

!Total Population

Punjab{{cite web |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25793242 |jstor=saoa.crl.25793242 |access-date=3 November 2024 |title=Census of India 1931. Vol. 17, Punjab. Pt. 2, Tables. |year=1931 |pages=277 |archive-date=31 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031110212/https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25793242 |url-status=live }}{{efn|name=WestPunjab1931|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:
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.}}

| 1,180,789

| {{Percentage | 1180789 | 14040798 | 2 }}

| 14,040,798

| 14,040,798

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa{{cite web |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25793233 |jstor=saoa.crl.25793233 |access-date=4 November 2024 |title=Census of India, 1931, vol. XV. North-west frontier province. Part I-Report. Part II-Tables |last1=Mallam |first1=G. L. |last2=Dundas |first2=A. D. F. |year=1933 |publisher=Peshawar, Printed by the manager, Government stationery and printing, 1933. |pages=373–375 |archive-date=8 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208000202/https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25793233 |url-status=live }}

| 42,510

| {{Percentage | 42510 | 2425076 | 2 }}

| 2,425,076{{efn|name=KPKPop}}

| 4,684,364{{efn|name=KPKPop}}

AJK{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25797120 |jstor=saoa.crl.25797120 |access-date=3 November 2024 |title=Census of India 1931. Vol. 24, Jammu & Kashmir State. Pt. 2, Imperial & state tables. |year=1931 |pages=267}}{{efn|name=AJK1931|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:}}

| 31,709

| {{Percentage | 31709 | 969578 | 2 }}

| 969,578

| 969,578

Sindh{{cite web |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25797128 |jstor=saoa.crl.25797128 |access-date=3 November 2024 |title=Census of India 1931. Vol. 8, Bombay. Pt. 2, Statistical tables. |author1=India Census Commissioner |year=1931 |volume=8 |archive-date=6 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240506002440/https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25797128 |url-status=live }}{{efn|name=Sindh1931|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: }}

| 19,172

| {{Percentage | 19172 | 4114253 | 2 }}

| 4,114,253

| 4,114,253

Balochistan{{cite web |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25797115 |jstor=saoa.crl.25797115 |access-date=8 September 2024 |title=Census of India 1931. Vol. 4, Baluchistan. Pts. 1 & 2, Report [and] Imperial and provincial tables. |year=1931 |pages=390 |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007090941/https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25797115 |url-status=live }}

| 8,425

| {{Percentage | 8425 | 868617 | 2 }}

| 868,617

| 868,617

Gilgit–Baltistan{{efn|name=GilgitBaltistan1931|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:}}

| 93

| {{Percentage | 93 | 96446 | 2 }}

| 96,446

| 96,446

Pakistan

! 1,282,698

! {{Percentage | 1282698 | 22514768 | 2 }}

! 22,514,768

! 24,774,056

= 1941 census =

{{further|Religion in Pakistan#1941 census|West Punjab#Religion|North-West Frontier Province#Religion|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.{{efn|name=Pakistan1941}} 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.{{efn|name=Pakistan1941}}

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Sikhism in Pakistan by administrative division{{efn|name=Pakistan1941|1941 figure taken from census data by combining the total population of all administrative divisions that compose the region of contemporary Pakistan, including Punjab,{{rp|42}}{{efn|name=WestPunjab1941}} Sindh,{{rp|28}}{{efn|name=Sindh1941}} Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,{{rp|22}}{{efn|name=KPKPop}} Balochistan,{{rp|13–18}} Azad Jammu and Kashmir,{{rp|337–352}}{{efn|name=AJK1941}} and Gilgit–Baltistan.{{rp|337–352}}{{efn|name=GilgitBaltistan1941}}}}

! rowspan="2" |Administrative
division

! colspan="4" |1941 Census

Sikh Population

!Sikh Percentage

!Total Responses

!Total Population

Punjab{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.28215541|jstor=saoa.crl.28215541 |access-date=4 February 2023|title=Census of India, 1941. Vol. 6, Punjab |year=1941 |volume=6 |author1=India Census Commissioner }}{{rp|42}}{{efn|name=WestPunjab1941}}

| 1,530,112

| {{Percentage | 1530112 | 17350103 | 2 }}

| 17,350,103

| 17,350,103

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.28215543|jstor=saoa.crl.28215543 |access-date=4 February 2023|title=Census of India, 1941. Vol. 10, North-West Frontier Province |year=1941 |volume=10 |author1=India Census Commissioner }}{{rp|22}}

| 57,939

| {{Percentage | 57939 | 3038067 | 2 }}

| 3,038,067{{efn|name=KPKPop|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.}}

| 5,415,666{{efn|name=KPKPop}}

AJK{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.28215644|jstor=saoa.crl.28215644 |access-date=4 February 2023|title=Census of India, 1941. Vol. 22, Jammu & Kashmir |year=1941 |volume=22 |author1=India Census Commissioner }}{{rp|337–352}}{{efn|name=AJK1941|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:{{rp|337–352}}}}

| 39,910

| {{Percentage | 39910 | 1073154 | 2 }}

| 1,073,154

| 1,073,154

Sindh{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.28215545|jstor=saoa.crl.28215545 |access-date=4 February 2023|title=Census of India, 1941. Vol. 12, Sind |year=1941 |volume=12 |author1=India Census Commissioner }}{{rp|28}}{{efn|name=Sindh1941|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: }}

| 32,627

| {{Percentage | 32627 | 4840795 | 2 }}

| 4,840,795

| 4,840,795

Balochistan{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.28215993|jstor=saoa.crl.28215993 |access-date=4 February 2023|title=Census of India, 1941. Vol. 14, Baluchistan |year=1942 |volume=14 |author1=India Census Commissioner }}{{rp|13–18}}

| 12,044

| {{Percentage | 12044 | 857835 | 2 }}

| 857,835

| 857,835

Gilgit–Baltistan{{rp|337–352}}{{efn|name=GilgitBaltistan1941|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:{{rp|337–352}}}}

| 121

| {{Percentage | 121 | 116047 | 2 }}

| 116,047

| 116,047

Pakistan

! 1,672,753

! {{Percentage | 1672753 | 27266001 | 2 }}

! 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.{{efn|name=Pakistan1951}}

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Sikhism in Pakistan by administrative division{{efn|name=Pakistan1951|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.}}{{cite web|url=http://lsi.gov.in:8081/jspui/bitstream/123456789/7452/1/1422_1951_POP.pdf|title=CENSUS OF PAKISTAN, 1951 POPULATION ACCORDING TO RELIGION TABLE 6|access-date=17 November 2024|archive-date=26 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326032054/http://lsi.gov.in:8081/jspui/bitstream/123456789/7452/1/1422_1951_POP.pdf|url-status=live|pages=1–26}}{{cite web|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/31311|title=Census of Pakistan, 1951 Population According to Religion Table 6|website=Census Digital Library|access-date=17 November 2024|pages=1–26}}

! rowspan="2" |Administrative
division

! colspan="4" |1951 census

Sikh Population

!Sikh Percentage

!Total Responses

!Total Population

Sindh

| 1,226

| {{Percentage | 1226 | 6047748 | 2 }}

| 6,047,748

| 6,054,474

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

| 215

| {{Percentage | 215 | 5864550 | 3 }}

| 5,864,550

| 5,899,905

Punjab

| 35

| {{Percentage | 35 | 20636702 | 4 }}

| 20,636,702

| 20,651,140

Balochistan

| 0

| {{Percentage | 0 | 1154167 | 4 }}

| 1,154,167

| 1,174,036

Pakistan

! 1,476

! {{Percentage | 1476 | 33703167 | 3 }}

! 33,703,167

! 33,779,555

= 2023 census =

File:Sikhism in Pakistan - 2023 Census.png

class="wikitable"

|+Pakistani Sikhs by Province - 2023 Census

!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

{{flag|Pakistan}}

|15,988

|10,829

|5,169

|8,510

|7,457

Geographical distribution

= Punjab =

{{Historical populations

|title = Sikh Population History
Punjab, Pakistan

|type =

|footnote =

|align = right

|width =

|state =

|shading =

|pop_name =

|percentages = pagr

|source =

{{efn|name=WestPunjab1881|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:
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.}}{{efn|name=WestPunjab1901}}{{efn|name=WestPunjab1911}}{{efn|name=WestPunjab1921}}{{efn|name=WestPunjab1931}}{{efn|name=WestPunjab1941}}
{{smaller|Census of India, Census of Pakistan}}

|1881 | 272,908

|1901 | 483,999

|1911 | 813,441

|1921 | 863,091

|1931 | 1,180,789

|1941 | 1,530,112

|1951 | 35

|1981 | 832

|2023 | 5,649

}}

File:A Sodhee Sikh, Lahore.jpg Sikh, Lahore, 1875.]]

File:True-colour photograph - Lahore, India (now Pakistan). Sikh Temple in 1914 (Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore).jpg in Lahore (1914).]]

File: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, Lahore, 1914.]]

File:Sikh girls school in Rawalpindi, circa 1920's (estimate).jpg, 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.{{efn|name=WestPunjab1941}} 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).{{rp|42}}

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Sikhs in the administrative divisions that compose the contemporary Punjab, Pakistan region (1881–1941)

! rowspan="2" |District or Princely State

! colspan="2" |1881{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25057656 |jstor=saoa.crl.25057656 |access-date=31 March 2024 |title=Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. I. |year=1881 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25057657 |jstor=saoa.crl.25057657 |access-date=31 March 2024 |title=Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. II. |year=1881 |pages=520 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25057658 |jstor=saoa.crl.25057658 |access-date=31 March 2024 |title=Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. III. |year=1881 |pages=250 }}{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.35264 |access-date=7 April 2024 |title=Gazetteers Of Gurdaspur District, 1883-84 |year=1884}}

! colspan="2" |1901{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25363739 |jstor=saoa.crl.25363739 |access-date=10 March 2024 |title=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. |year=1901}}{{rp|34}}

! colspan="2" |1911{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25393788 |jstor=saoa.crl.25393788 |access-date=3 March 2024 |title=Census of India 1911. Vol. 14, Punjab. Pt. 2, Tables. |year=1911}}{{rp|27}}{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.62718 |access-date=3 March 2024 |title=Census Of India 1911 Punjab Vol XIV Part II |year=1911 |author=Kaul, Harikishan}}{{rp|27}}

! colspan="2" |1921{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25430165 |jstor=saoa.crl.25430165 |access-date=17 February 2024 |title=Census of India 1921. Vol. 15, Punjab and Delhi. Pt. 2, Tables. |year=1921}}{{rp|29}}

! colspan="2" |1931{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25793242 |jstor=saoa.crl.25793242 |access-date=4 February 2024 |title=Census of India 1931. Vol. 17, Punjab. Pt. 2, Tables. |year=1931}}{{rp|277}}

! colspan="2" |1941{{rp|42}}

Population

!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}

!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}

!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}

!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}

!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}

!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}

!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}

!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}

!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}

!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}

!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}

Lahore District

| 125,591

| {{Percentage | 125591 | 924106 | 2 }}

| 159,701

| {{Percentage | 159701 | 1162109 | 2 }}

| 169,008

| {{Percentage | 169008 | 1036158 | 2 }}

| 179,975

| {{Percentage | 179975 | 1131336 | 2 }}

| 244,304

| {{Percentage | 244304 | 1378570 | 2 }}

| 310,646

| {{Percentage | 310646 | 1695375 | 2 }}

Sialkot District

| 40,195

| {{Percentage | 40195 | 1012148 | 2 }}

| 50,982

| {{Percentage | 50982 | 1083909 | 2 }}

| 81,761

| {{Percentage | 81761 | 979553 | 2 }}

| 74,939

| {{Percentage | 74939 | 937823 | 2 }}

| 94,955

| {{Percentage | 94955 | 979617 | 2 }}

| 139,409

| {{Percentage | 139409 | 1190497 | 2 }}

Gujranwala District

| 36,159

| {{Percentage | 36159 | 616892 | 2 }}

| 51,607

| {{Percentage | 51607 | 756797 | 2 }}

| 107,748

| {{Percentage | 107748 | 923419 | 2 }}

| 50,802

| {{Percentage | 50802 | 623581 | 2 }}

| 71,595

| {{Percentage | 71595 | 736138 | 2 }}

| 99,139

| {{Percentage | 99139 | 912234 | 2 }}

Rawalpindi District

| 17,780

| {{Percentage | 17780 | 820512 | 2 }}

| 32,234

| {{Percentage | 32234 | 930535 | 2 }}

| 31,839

| {{Percentage | 31839 | 547827 | 2 }}

| 31,718

| {{Percentage | 31718 | 569224 | 2 }}

| 41,265

| {{Percentage | 41265 | 634357 | 2 }}

| 64,127

| {{Percentage | 64127 | 785231 | 2 }}

Montgomery District

| 11,964

| {{Percentage | 11964 | 426529 | 2 }}

| 19,092

| {{Percentage | 19092 | 463586 | 2 }}

| 68,175

| {{Percentage | 68175 | 535299 | 2 }}

| 95,520

| {{Percentage | 95520 | 713786 | 2 }}

| 148,155

| {{Percentage | 148155 | 999772 | 2 }}

| 175,064

| {{Percentage | 175064 | 1329103 | 2 }}

Jhelum District

| 11,188

| {{Percentage | 11188 | 589373 | 2 }}

| 15,070

| {{Percentage | 15070 | 594018 | 2 }}

| 24,436

| {{Percentage | 24436 | 511575 | 2 }}

| 18,626

| {{Percentage | 18626 | 477068 | 2 }}

| 22,030

| {{Percentage | 22030 | 541076 | 2 }}

| 24,680

| {{Percentage | 24680 | 629658 | 2 }}

Gujrat District

| 8,885

| {{Percentage | 8885 | 689115 | 2 }}

| 24,893

| {{Percentage | 24893 | 750548 | 2 }}

| 44,693

| {{Percentage | 44693 | 745634 | 2 }}

| 49,456

| {{Percentage | 49456 | 824046 | 2 }}

| 59,188

| {{Percentage | 59188 | 922427 | 2 }}

| 70,233

| {{Percentage | 70233 | 1104952 | 2 }}

Shakargarh Tehsil{{efn|name="Shakargarh1947"|Part of Gurdaspur District which was awarded to Pakistan as part of the Radcliffe Line.}}

| 5,090

| {{Percentage | 5090 | 219511 | 2 }}

| 6,557

| {{Percentage | 6557 | 234465 | 2 }}

| 10,553

| {{Percentage | 10553 | 210447 | 2 }}

| 12,303

| {{Percentage | 12303 | 212849 | 2 }}

| 15,730

| {{Percentage | 15730 | 247363 | 2 }}

| 20,573

| {{Percentage | 20573 | 291505 | 2 }}

Shahpur District

| 4,702

| {{Percentage | 4702 | 421508 | 2 }}

| 12,756

| {{Percentage | 12756 | 524259 | 2 }}

| 33,456

| {{Percentage | 33456 | 687366 | 2 }}

| 30,361

| {{Percentage | 30361 | 719918 | 2 }}

| 40,074

| {{Percentage | 40074 | 821490 | 2 }}

| 48,046

| {{Percentage | 48046 | 998921 | 2 }}

Jhang District

| 3,477

| {{Percentage | 3477 | 395296 | 2 }}

| 3,526

| {{Percentage | 3526 | 378695 | 2 }}

| 19,427

| {{Percentage | 19427 | 515526 | 2 }}

| 9,376

| {{Percentage | 9376 | 570559 | 2 }}

| 8,476

| {{Percentage | 8476 | 664833 | 2 }}

| 12,238

| {{Percentage | 12238 | 821631 | 2 }}

Muzaffargarh District

| 2,788

| {{Percentage | 2788 | 338605 | 2 }}

| 3,225

| {{Percentage | 3225 | 405656 | 2 }}

| 6,322

| {{Percentage | 6322 | 569461 | 2 }}

| 4,869

| {{Percentage | 4869 | 568478 | 2 }}

| 5,287

| {{Percentage | 5287 | 591375 | 2 }}

| 5,882

| {{Percentage | 5882 | 712849 | 2 }}

Multan District

| 2,085

| {{Percentage | 2085 | 551964 | 2 }}

| 4,662

| {{Percentage | 4662 | 710626 | 2 }}

| 19,881

| {{Percentage | 19881 | 814871 | 2 }}

| 18,562

| {{Percentage | 18562 | 890264 | 2 }}

| 39,453

| {{Percentage | 39453 | 1174900 | 2 }}

| 61,628

| {{Percentage | 61628 | 1484333 | 2 }}

Bahawalpur State

| 1,678

| {{Percentage | 1678 | 573494 | 2 }}

| 7,985

| {{Percentage | 7985 | 720877 | 2 }}

| 16,630

| {{Percentage | 16630 | 780641 | 2 }}

| 19,071

| {{Percentage | 19071 | 781191 | 2 }}

| 34,896

| {{Percentage | 34896 | 984612 | 2 }}

| 46,945

| {{Percentage | 46945 | 1341209 | 2 }}

Dera Ghazi Khan District

| 1,326

| {{Percentage | 1326 | 363346 | 2 }}

| 1,027

| {{Percentage | 1027 | 471149 | 2 }}

| 1,042

| {{Percentage | 1042 | 499860 | 2 }}

| 932

| {{Percentage | 932 | 469052 | 2 }}

| 760

| {{Percentage | 760 | 491044 | 2 }}

| 1,072

| {{Percentage | 1072 | 581350 | 2 }}

Lyallpur District{{efn|name="Lyallpur"|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.}}

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| 88,049

| {{Percentage | 88049 | 791861 | 2 }}

| 146,670

| {{Percentage | 146670 | 857711 | 2 }}

| 160,821

| {{Percentage | 160821 | 979463 | 2 }}

| 211,391

| {{Percentage | 211391 | 1151351 | 2 }}

| 262,737

| {{Percentage | 262737 | 1396305 | 2 }}

Mianwali District

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| 2,633

| {{Percentage | 2633 | 424588 | 2 }}

| 4,881

| {{Percentage | 4881 | 341377 | 2 }}

| 2,986

| {{Percentage | 2986 | 358205 | 2 }}

| 4,231

| {{Percentage | 4231 | 411539 | 2 }}

| 6,865

| {{Percentage | 6865 | 506321 | 2 }}

Biloch Trans–Frontier Tract

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| 0

| {{Percentage | 0 | 24087 | 2 }}

| 5

| {{Percentage | 5 | 28587 | 2 }}

| 0

| {{Percentage | 0 | 26758 | 2 }}

| 0

| {{Percentage | 0 | 29642 | 2 }}

| 2

| {{Percentage | 2 | 40246 | 3 }}

Attock District{{efn|name="Attock"|District created in 1904 by taking Talagang Tehsil from Jhelum District and Pindi Gheb, Fateh Jang and Attock Tehsils from Rawalpindi District.}}

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| 26,914

| {{Percentage | 26914 | 519273 | 2 }}

| 19,809

| {{Percentage | 19809 | 512249 | 2 }}

| 19,522

| {{Percentage | 19522 | 583960 | 2 }}

| 20,120

| {{Percentage | 20120 | 675875 | 2 }}

Sheikhupura District{{efn|name="Sheikhupura"|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.}}

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| 82,965

| {{Percentage | 82965 | 523135 | 2 }}

| 119,477

| {{Percentage | 119477 | 696732 | 2 }}

| 160,706

| {{Percentage | 160706 | 852508 | 2 }}

Total Sikhs

! 272,908

! {{Percentage | 272908 | 7942399 | 2 }}

! 483,999

! {{Percentage | 483999 | 10427765 | 2 }}

! 813,441

! {{Percentage | 813441 | 11104585 | 2 }}

! 863,091

! {{Percentage | 863091 | 11888985 | 2 }}

! 1,180,789

! {{Percentage | 1180789 | 14040798 | 2 }}

! 1,530,112

! {{Percentage | 1530112 | 17350103 | 2 }}

Total Population

! 7,942,399

! {{Percentage | 7942399 | 7942399 | 2 }}

! 10,427,765

! {{Percentage | 10427765 | 10427765 | 2 }}

! 11,104,585

! {{Percentage | 11104585 | 11104585 | 2 }}

! 11,888,985

! {{Percentage | 11888985 | 11888985 | 2 }}

! 14,040,798

! {{Percentage | 14040798 | 14040798 | 2 }}

! 17,350,103

! {{Percentage | 17350103 | 17350103 | 2 }}

= Khyber Pakhtunkhwa =

{{Historical populations

|title = Sikh Population History
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

|type =

|footnote =

|align = right

|width =

|state =

|shading =

|pop_name =

|percentages = pagr

|source =
{{smaller|Census of India, Census of Pakistan}}

|1901 | 25,733

|1911 | 30,345

|1921 | 28,040

|1931 | 42,510

|1941 | 57,939

|1951 | 215

|1981 | 729

|2023 | 4,050}}

File:45th Sikh Regiment escorting prisoners - 2nd afghan war.jpg escorting Afghan prisoners through the Khyber Pass during the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878)]]

File:Peshawar Fort WDL11466.png Fort (1879–1880)]]

File:Akali Phula Singh Memorial.jpg Memorial in Nowshera (Late 19th or early 20th century) ]]

File:The 52nd Sikh Regiment at Kohat, North-West Frontier Province in 1905 (1).jpg, North-West Frontier Province (1905)]]

File:Sikh recruits at school (16074954163).jpg (1933–1935)]]

File:Sikh sepoys, non-commissioned and Indian Officers in uniform and mufti (16669127486).jpg, non-commissioned and Indian Officers in uniform and mufti in North-West Frontier Province (1933–1935)]]

File:Hindus and Sikhs Migration to India.jpg 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.{{rp|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).{{rp|22–23}}

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Sikhs in the districts of North–West Frontier Province (1921–1941)

! rowspan="2" |District

! colspan="2" |1921

! colspan="2" |1931

! colspan="2" |1941{{rp|22–23}}

Population

!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}

!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}

!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}

!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}

!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}

Peshawar District

| 15,326

| {{Percentage | 15326 | 907367 | 2 }}

| 24,271

| {{Percentage | 24271 | 974321 | 2 }}

| 24,030

| {{Percentage | 24030 | 851833 | 2 }}

Hazara District

| 4,850

| {{Percentage | 4850 | 622349 | 2 }}

| 7,630

| {{Percentage | 7630 | 670117 | 2 }}

| 9,220

| {{Percentage | 9220 | 796230 | 2 }}

Bannu District

| 3,286

| {{Percentage | 3286 | 246734 | 2 }}

| 5,482

| {{Percentage | 5482 | 270301 | 2 }}

| 6,112

| {{Percentage | 6112 | 295930 | 2 }}

Kohat District

| 2,674

| {{Percentage | 2674 | 214123 | 2 }}

| 3,249

| {{Percentage | 3249 | 236273 | 2 }}

| 4,349

| {{Percentage | 4349 | 289404 | 2 }}

Dera Ismail Khan District

| 1,904

| {{Percentage | 1904 | 260767 | 2 }}

| 1,878

| {{Percentage | 1878 | 274064 | 2 }}

| 2,390

| {{Percentage | 2390 | 298131 | 2 }}

Mardan District

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| 11,838

| {{Percentage | 11838 | 506539 | 2 }}

Total Sikhs

! 28,040

! {{Percentage | 28040 | 2251340 | 2 }}

! 42,510

! {{Percentage | 42510 | 2425076 | 2 }}

! 57,939

! {{Percentage | 57939 | 3038067 | 2 }}

Total Population

! 2,251,340

! {{Percentage | 2251340 | 2251340 | 2 }}

! 2,425,076

! {{Percentage | 2425076 | 2425076 | 2 }}

! 3,038,067

! {{Percentage | 3038067 | 3038067 | 2 }}

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).{{rp|30}}

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Sikhs in the tehsils of North–West Frontier Province (1921–1941)

! rowspan="2" |Tehsil

! colspan="2" |1921{{rp|510–516}}

! colspan="2" |1931{{rp|393–396}}

! colspan="2" |1941{{rp|30}}

Population

!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}

!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}

!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}

!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}

!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}

Peshawar Tehsil

| 8,223

| {{Percentage | 8223 | 263228 | 2 }}

| 9,736

| {{Percentage | 9736 | 278947 | 2 }}

| 15,454

| {{Percentage | 15454 | 389329 | 2 }}

Abbottabad Tehsil

| 3,344

| {{Percentage | 3344 | 232034 | 2 }}

| 4,599

| {{Percentage | 4599 | 253779 | 2 }}

| 6,035

| {{Percentage | 6035 | 308518 | 2 }}

Mardan Tehsil

| 2,874

| {{Percentage | 2874 | 171642 | 2 }}

| 5,174

| {{Percentage | 5174 | 198561 | 2 }}

| 9,091

| {{Percentage | 9091 | 299384 | 2 }}

Bannu Tehsil

| 2,777

| {{Percentage | 2777 | 142535 | 2 }}

| 4,979

| {{Percentage | 4979 | 161882 | 2 }}

| 5,285

| {{Percentage | 5285 | 187598 | 2 }}

Nowshera Tehsil

| 2,380

| {{Percentage | 2380 | 148817 | 2 }}

| 4,678

| {{Percentage | 4678 | 160542 | 2 }}

| 6,636

| {{Percentage | 6636 | 218258 | 2 }}

Kohat Tehsil

| 2,195

| {{Percentage | 2195 | 77171 | 2 }}

| 2,184

| {{Percentage | 2184 | 88310 | 2 }}

| 3,613

| {{Percentage | 3613 | 114616 | 2 }}

Swabi Tehsil

| 1,062

| {{Percentage | 1062 | 159242 | 2 }}

| 3,030

| {{Percentage | 3030 | 158411 | 2 }}

| 2,747

| {{Percentage | 2747 | 207155 | 2 }}

Haripur Tehsil

| 968

| {{Percentage | 968 | 161981 | 2 }}

| 2,019

| {{Percentage | 2019 | 169735 | 2 }}

| 2,011

| {{Percentage | 2011 | 187854 | 2 }}

Dera Ismail Khan Tehsil

| 884

| {{Percentage | 884 | 156017 | 2 }}

| 894

| {{Percentage | 894 | 171019 | 2 }}

| 1,740

| {{Percentage | 1740 | 187585 | 2 }}

Tank Tehsil

| 811

| {{Percentage | 811 | 59637 | 2 }}

| 574

| {{Percentage | 574 | 51194 | 2 }}

| 401

| {{Percentage | 401 | 55664 | 2 }}

Charsadda Tehsil

| 787

| {{Percentage | 787 | 164438 | 2 }}

| 1,653

| {{Percentage | 1653 | 177860 | 2 }}

| 1,940

| {{Percentage | 1940 | 244246 | 2 }}

Marwat Tehsil

| 509

| {{Percentage | 509 | 104199 | 2 }}

| 503

| {{Percentage | 503 | 108419 | 2 }}

| 817

| {{Percentage | 817 | 108332 | 2 }}

Mansehra Tehsil

| 468

| {{Percentage | 468 | 200879 | 2 }}

| 966

| {{Percentage | 966 | 208660 | 2 }}

| 965

| {{Percentage | 965 | 243203 | 2 }}

Hangu Tehsil

| 434

| {{Percentage | 434 | 44715 | 2 }}

| 1,038

| {{Percentage | 1038 | 44952 | 2 }}

| 650

| {{Percentage | 650 | 62079 | 2 }}

Kulachi Tehsil

| 209

| {{Percentage | 209 | 45113 | 2 }}

| 410

| {{Percentage | 410 | 51851 | 2 }}

| 249

| {{Percentage | 249 | 54882 | 2 }}

Amb Tehsil

| 70

| {{Percentage | 70 | 21754 | 2 }}

| 45

| {{Percentage | 45 | 31299 | 2 }}

| 195

| {{Percentage | 195 | 47916 | 2 }}

Teri Tehsil

| 45

| {{Percentage | 45 | 92237 | 2 }}

| 27

| {{Percentage | 27 | 103011 | 2 }}

| 86

| {{Percentage | 86 | 112709 | 2 }}

Phulra Tehsil

| 0

| {{Percentage | 0 | 5701 | 2 }}

| 1

| {{Percentage | 1 | 6644 | 2 }}

| 14

| {{Percentage | 14 | 8739 | 2 }}

Total Sikhs

! 28,040

! {{Percentage | 28040 | 2251340 | 2 }}

! 42,510

! {{Percentage | 42510 | 2425076 | 2 }}

! 57,929

! {{Percentage | 57929 | 3038067 | 2 }}

Total Population

! 2,251,340

! {{Percentage | 2251340 | 2251340 | 2 }}

! 2,425,076

! {{Percentage | 2425076 | 2425076 | 2 }}

! 3,038,067

! {{Percentage | 3038067 | 3038067 | 2 }}

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.{{rp|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).{{rp|19}}

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Sikhs in the cities of North-West Frontier Province (1921–1941)

! rowspan="2" |City/Urban Area

! colspan="2" |1921{{rp|340–342}}

! colspan="2" |1931{{rp|257–259}}

! colspan="2" |1941{{rp|19}}

Population

!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}

!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}

!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}

!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}

!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}

Peshawar{{efn|name=CityA}}

| 6,152

| {{Percentage | 6152 | 104452 | 2 }}

| 8,630

| {{Percentage | 8630 | 121866 | 2 }}

| 14,245

| {{Percentage | 14245 | 173420 | 2 }}

Bannu{{efn|name=CityA}}

| 2,421

| {{Percentage | 2421 | 22261 | 2 }}

| 3,947

| {{Percentage | 3947 | 30539 | 2 }}

| 4,894

| {{Percentage | 4894 | 38504 | 2 }}

Kohat{{efn|name=CityA}}

| 2,139

| {{Percentage | 2139 | 27853 | 2 }}

| 2,152

| {{Percentage | 2152 | 34350 | 2 }}

| 3,562

| {{Percentage | 3562 | 44977 | 2 }}

Mardan{{efn|name=CityA}}

| 1,679

| {{Percentage | 1679 | 10930 | 2 }}

| 2,927

| {{Percentage | 2927 | 26279 | 2 }}

| 6,014

| {{Percentage | 6014 | 42494 | 2 }}

Nowshera{{efn|name=CityB|Includes total Cantonment and Notified area population.}}

| 1,319

| {{Percentage | 1319 | 27742 | 2 }}

| 3,042

| {{Percentage | 3042 | 28966 | 2 }}

| 4,253

| {{Percentage | 4253 | 44022 | 2 }}

Jamrud

| 1,254

| {{Percentage | 1254 | 6128 | 2 }}

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

Abbottabad{{efn|name=CityA|Includes total Municipality and Cantonment population.}}

| 879

| {{Percentage | 879 | 13620 | 2 }}

| 1,039

| {{Percentage | 1039 | 16165 | 2 }}

| 2,680

| {{Percentage | 2680 | 27424 | 2 }}

Dera Ismail Khan{{efn|name=CityB}}

| 724

| {{Percentage | 724 | 39341 | 2 }}

| 708

| {{Percentage | 708 | 40331 | 2 }}

| 1,412

| {{Percentage | 1412 | 51306 | 2 }}

Risalpur

| 601

| {{Percentage | 601 | 8499 | 2 }}

| 314

| {{Percentage | 314 | 8016 | 2 }}

| 1,024

| {{Percentage | 1024 | 9007 | 2 }}

Lakki{{efn|name=CityC}}

| 470

| {{Percentage | 470 | 7476 | 2 }}

| 268

| {{Percentage | 268 | 7703 | 2 }}

| 548

| {{Percentage | 548 | 10141 | 2 }}

Haripur

| 346

| {{Percentage | 346 | 5889 | 2 }}

| 696

| {{Percentage | 696 | 7653 | 2 }}

| 1,035

| {{Percentage | 1035 | 9322 | 2 }}

Tank{{efn|name=CityC}}

| 344

| {{Percentage | 344 | 10846 | 2 }}

| 240

| {{Percentage | 240 | 6421 | 2 }}

| 181

| {{Percentage | 181 | 9089 | 2 }}

Nawan Shehr{{efn|name=CityC}}

| 246

| {{Percentage | 246 | 5092 | 2 }}

| 363

| {{Percentage | 363 | 5130 | 2 }}

| 309

| {{Percentage | 309 | 6414 | 2 }}

Kulachi{{efn|name=CityC}}

| 84

| {{Percentage | 84 | 7895 | 2 }}

| 128

| {{Percentage | 128 | 8425 | 2 }}

| 138

| {{Percentage | 138 | 8840 | 2 }}

Baffa{{efn|name=CityC|Includes total Notified area population.}}

| 39

| {{Percentage | 39 | 7603 | 2 }}

| 86

| {{Percentage | 86 | 7257 | 2 }}

| 81

| {{Percentage | 81 | 7988 | 2 }}

Charsadda

| 30

| {{Percentage | 30 | 10232 | 2 }}

| 287

| {{Percentage | 287 | 11537 | 2 }}

| 294

| {{Percentage | 294 | 16845 | 2 }}

Cherat

| 8

| {{Percentage | 8 | 261 | 2 }}

| 74

| {{Percentage | 74 | 843 | 2 }}

| 25

| {{Percentage | 25 | 337 | 2 }}

Tangi

| 1

| {{Percentage | 1 | 9843 | 2 }}

| 7

| {{Percentage | 7 | 8689 | 2 }}

| 2

| {{Percentage | 2 | 12906 | 2 }}

Parang

| 1

| {{Percentage | 1 | 9886 | 2 }}

| 0

| {{Percentage | 0 | 10227 | 2 }}

| 0

| {{Percentage | 0 | 13496 | 2 }}

Mansehra

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| 469

| {{Percentage | 469 | 5780 | 2 }}

| 375

| {{Percentage | 375 | 10217 | 2 }}

Utmanzai

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| 171

| {{Percentage | 171 | 10129 | 2 }}

Kot Najibullah

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| {{N/a}}

| 156

| {{Percentage | 156 | 5315 | 2 }}

Total Urban Sikh Population

! 18,737

! {{Percentage | 18737 | 335849 | 2 }}

! 25,377

! {{Percentage | 25377 | 386177 | 2 }}

! 41,399

! {{Percentage | 41399 | 552193 | 2 }}

Total Urban Population

! 335,849

! {{Percentage | 335849 | 335849 | 2 }}

! 386,177

! {{Percentage | 386177 | 386177 | 2 }}

! 552,193

! {{Percentage | 552193 | 552193 | 2 }}

= 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.{{rp|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).{{rp|13–18}}

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Sikhs in the districts and princely states of Baluchistan Agency (1941){{rp|13–18}}

! rowspan="2" |District/
Princely State

! colspan="2" |Sikhism 15px

Population

!Percentage

QuettaPishin District

| 8,787

| {{Percentage | 8,787 | 156289 | 2 }}

Loralai District

| 1,124

| {{Percentage | 1,124 | 83685 | 2 }}

Zhob District

| 1,076

| {{Percentage | 1,076 | 61499 | 2 }}

Sibi District

| 566

| {{Percentage | 566 | 164899 | 2 }}

Bolan District

| 184

| {{Percentage | 184 | 6009 | 2 }}

Chaghai District

| 181

| {{Percentage | 181 | 29950 | 2 }}

Kalat State

| 79

| {{Percentage | 79 | 253305 | 2 }}

Las Bela State

| 47

| {{Percentage | 47 | 69067 | 2 }}

Kharan State

| 0

| {{Percentage | 0 | 33832 | 2 }}

Total Sikhs

! 12,044

! {{Percentage | 12044 | 857835 | 2 }}

Total Population

! 857,835

! {{Percentage | 857835 | 857835 | 2 }}

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.{{rp|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).{{rp|13–14}}

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Sikhs in the cities of Baluchistan Agency (1941){{rp|13–14}}

! rowspan="2" |City/Urban Area

! colspan="2" |Sikhism 15px

Population

!Percentage

Quetta{{efn|name=City|Includes town and cantonment}}

| 7,364

| {{Percentage | 7364 | 64476 | 2 }}

Loralai{{efn|name=City}}

| 1,116

| {{Percentage | 1116 | 5095 | 2 }}

Fort Sandeman{{efn|name=City}}

| 1,004

| {{Percentage | 1004 | 9353 | 2 }}

Chaman{{efn|name=City}}

| 697

| {{Percentage | 697 | 6650 | 2 }}

Sibi

| 362

| {{Percentage | 362 | 8854 | 2 }}

Pishin

| 183

| {{Percentage | 183 | 1890 | 2 }}

Machh

| 121

| {{Percentage | 121 | 2220 | 2 }}

Usta

| 77

| {{Percentage | 77 | 1925 | 2 }}

Bela

| 47

| {{Percentage | 47 | 3905 | 2 }}

Kalat

| 33

| {{Percentage | 33 | 2463 | 2 }}

Mastung

| 28

| {{Percentage | 28 | 3140 | 2 }}

Panjgur

| 9

| {{Percentage | 9 | 473 | 2 }}

Pasni

| 0

| {{Percentage | 0 | 3616 | 2 }}

Total Urban
Sikh Population

! 11,041

! {{Percentage | 11041 | 114060 | 2 }}

Total Urban
Population

! 114,060

! {{Percentage | 114060 | 114060 | 2 }}

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/761507/timeline-persecution-of-religious-minorities|title=Timeline: Persecution of religious minorities|date=4 November 2012 |access-date=6 March 2015}} 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.{{cite book|title=World Report 2014|url=https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/wr2014_web_0.pdf|year=2011|publisher=Human Rights Watch|pages=366–372}} Sikhs have been victims of massacres, targeted assassinations and forced conversions, mostly in Peshawar.{{cite news|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/popular-pakistani-sikh-activist-shot-dead-in-peshawar/story-KKCgPj1j7w4ZVHYgk40UhJ_amp.html|title=Popular Pakistani Sikh activist shot dead in Peshawar|publisher=Hindustan Times|date=30 May 2018}}{{cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/three-sikhs-beheaded-by-taliban-in-pak/articleshow/5601345.cms|title=Three Sikh beheaded by Taliban in Pakistan|publisher=Economic Times|date=22 February 2010}}{{cite news|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/amp/nation/politics/280720/india-protests-against-pakistans-move-to-convert-sikh-gurdwara-into-m.html|title=India protests against Pakistan's move to convert Sikh gurdwara into mosque in Lahore|publisher=Deccan Chronicle|date=28 July 2020}} 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.{{Cite web |date=2018-12-14 |title=Sikhs in Pakistan fear for lives as persecution rages on |url=https://international.la-croix.com/news/world/sikhs-in-pakistan-fear-for-lives-as-persecution-rages-on/9082 |access-date=2023-07-27 |website=international.la-croix.com |language=en}}File:Sikhs protest Pakistan.jpg

In 2009, the Lashkar-e-Islam led by Mangal Bagh demanded that Sikhs in the Aurakzai tribal region pay them the jizya (poll tax levied by Muslims on non-Muslim minorities).{{cite web |title=The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – World |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090417/world.htm#6 |access-date=2010-03-09 |publisher=Tribuneindia.com}}{{Cite news |date=July 27, 2009 |title=Sikhs, Hindus dread Taliban tax in northwest Pakistan |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/963964/sikhs-hindus-dread-taliban-tax-in-northwest-pakistan |access-date=25 January 2025 |work=Dawn}} Initially demanding 50 million rupees as the jizya payment, the Taliban later settled for a 20 million rupee payment, which local Sikhs paid. The Taliban had earlier occupied the homes of 10 Sikh families in Qasimkhel in neighbouring Afghanistan and kidnapped a local Sikh leader named Saiwang Singh. After paying the jizya, the Taliban assured the Sikhs they would protect them, leading to some Sikhs who had fled the region to return.

In 2010, the Taliban attacked many minorities including Sikhs resulting in two beheadings.{{cite web |date=2010-02-23 |title=Pak Sikhs seeks security, Indian citizenship |url=http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/23629/38/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100227024100/http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/23629/38 |archive-date=2010-02-27 |access-date=2010-03-09 |publisher=PunjabNewsline.com}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/ssdataset.asp?vlnk=6891&More=Y |title=Ethnic group by religion, April 2001: Census update |website=Statistics.gov.uk |access-date=2010-08-13}}

Notable Pakistani Sikhs

Following are some of notable Pakistani Sikhs:

Gurdwaras in Pakistan

{{Main|List of gurdwaras}}

After partition, gurdwaras fell into disuse as Sikhs fled to India and left their ancestral homelands.{{Cite book |last=Alter |first=Stephen |title=Amritsar to Lahore: A Journey Across the India-Pakistan Border |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |year=2001 |isbn=9780812217438 |pages=87–88 |chapter=Lahore: The Paris of India}} Later, cross-border agreements allowed for Indian Sikh yatri pilgrims to visit Pakistani gurdwaras during religious festivals. After insurgency erupted in the Indian state of Punjab, the Pakistani government became more lenient when allowing Sikh pilgrims into the country.

Mohammad Waliullah Khan in his 1962 book Sikh Shrines in West Pakistan recorded 130 historical shrines associated with Sikhism in West Pakistan, listing all of their names and location.{{Cite book |last=Khan |first=Mohammad Waliullah |title=Sikh Shrines in West Pakistan |publisher=Department of Archaeology Ministry of Education and Information, Government of Pakistan |year=1962 |pages=61–66 |chapter=List of Sikh Shrines in West Pakistan}} In 1998, Iqbal Qaiser recorded nearly 200 historical Sikh shrines in Pakistan in his book Historical Sikh Shrines in Pakistan after five years of research.{{Cite web |title=Tracking Pakistan’s Forgotten Gurdwaras |url=https://www.worldsikh.org/tracking_pakistan_s_forgotten_gurdwaras |access-date=26 January 2025 |website=World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO)}}{{Cite book |last=Qaiser |first=Iqbal |title=Historical Sikh Shrines in Pakistan |publisher=Punjabi History Board |year=1998 |location=Lahore |pages=7–9}}

= Operational gurdwaras =

In 2019, the Pakistan Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee listed seventeen operational gurdwaras on its website.{{Cite web |date=2019 |title=Gurdwaras |url=https://psgpc.com.pk/gurdwara/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191113164322/https://psgpc.com.pk/gurdwara/ |archive-date=13 November 2019 |access-date=26 January 2025 |website=Pakistan Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC)}} Many of the gurdwaras are located in Nankana Sahib.{{Cite web |title=Smaller Gurdwaras in Kartarpur |url=https://pakheritage.org/smaller-gurdwaras-in-kartarpur/ |access-date=26 January 2025 |website=Naqoosh-e-Javidan}} Operational gurdwaras are as follows:

= Defunct and lost gurdwaras =

Some sites that once existed as gurdwaras have since been lost or destroyed. In July 2023, a gurdwara connected to Guru Nanak near Jahman village collapsed.{{Cite news |last=Aslam |first=Irfan |date=July 18, 2023 |title=The fall of neglected gurdwara in border village |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1765330 |access-date=25 January 2025 |work=Dawn}} In August 2024, it was reported that the Jeevay Sanjha Punjab (JSP) rediscovered some historical Sikh gurdwaras, samadhs (cenotaphs), and janam-asthans (birthplace-locations) in Lahore, such as the birthplace of Bhai Daya Singh, the samadh of Maharani Jind Kaur, and Gurdwara Baoli Sahib constructed by Guru Arjan.{{Cite news |last=Kamal |first=Neel |date=Aug 25, 2024 |title=Jeevay Sanjha Punjab traces birthplace of Bhai Daya Singh, 2 other historical places in Lahore |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/jeevay-sanjha-punjab-discovers-birthplace-of-bhai-daya-singh-and-other-historical-sites-in-lahore/articleshow/112773177.cms |access-date=26 January 2025 |work=The Times of India}}

Gallery

File:Gurdwara Dera Sahib and Samadhi of Ranjit Singh.jpg|Golden dome of Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore

File:The Entrance of Janam Asthan-2.jpg|The Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib, Pakistan, commemorates the site where Guru Nanak is believed to have been born. It was rebuilt by the Pakistani Government

File:Gudwara Panja Sahib - Flickr - Al Jazeera English (1).jpg|Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Punjab

File:Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur 04.jpg|Darbar Sahib, gurdwara commemorating Guru Nanak, in Kartarpur, Pakistan

See also

Notes

{{notelist}}

References

{{Reflist}}