Punjabi Sikh Sangat

Punjabi Sikh Sangat
Headquarters25 Nisbaat Road, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Location
Chairman
Gopal Singh Chawla
Websitepunjabisikhsangat.org

Punjabi Sikh Sangat (PSS) was a Pakistani Sikh organization that was formed to manage Sikh shrines in Punjab, Pakistan.[1] The organization had three offices, in Lahore, Nankana Sahib, and Panja Sahib.[2] It was headed by Gopal Singh Chawla as chairman or president.[1][3] Its leader was an advocate of the Khalistan movement, was pro-Pakistan, and was an outspoken critic of India.[4][5][6][7]

History

In June 2014, the organization held a protest, attended by Sikhs from Nankana Sahib, Narowal, Peshawar, and Sindh, regarding the 1984 Operation Blue Star attack on the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar.[8] In October 2018, its leader admitted to having knowledge of the killings of RSS leaders in Punjab, India.[9] In 2019, Chawla was removed as secretary from the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee due to Indian pressure,[10][11][12] but he remained on the board panel.[13] In 2020, Chawla was honoured by the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) and its parent body Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB).[12] In 2021, Chawla blamed India's Research and Analysis Wing for a desecration occurring at the Sidhi Vinayak temple in Bhong city in Rahim Yar Khan district. He also blamed RAW for anti-Sikh killings and attacks in KPK and Nankana Sahib.[14] Chawla was later removed due to allegations of corruption by illegally occupying land in Nankana Sahib.[1] However, Chawla alleges that revenue official Asif Chadar colluded with officials of the Evacuee Trust Property Board to sell land belonging to Nankana Sahib illegally.[15] Chawla uploaded a video criticizing authorities but later apologized for his statements.[16][17] Chawla has been under house-arrest for three years as of December 2025 which the Pakistani authorities claim is for his safety due to threats from India.[18] India claims Chawla was a Khalistani ISI asset who had ties with Hafiz Sayeed,[19][14][20][21] Chawla had said that Sayeed was his "ideal person".[9] As per Yudhvir Rana, Chawla was sidelined due to the opening of the Kartarpur corridor, where India requested that controversial elements be removed as a condition for the project to open.[14]

Board of directors

Its board of directors was as follows:[22]

  • Tariq Wazir Khan, Secretory Shrines ETPB, patron-in-chief
  • Gopal Singh Chawala, chairman
  • Partap Singh, administrator for Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Ramesh Singh Arora, ex. general secretary of the PSGPC

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Gopal Singh Chawla likely to get removed from chairmanship of Punjabi Sikh Sangat tomorrow". Sikh24. 6 May 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  2. ↑ "Contact Us". Punjabi Sikh Sangat. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  3. ↑ Taggar, Rajinder S. (7 November 2022). "Vocal Khalistani minority trying to exploit Gurpurab gatherings in Canada, US, Australia". India Narrative. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  4. ↑ Chawla, Gopal Singh. "Khalistan is our fundamental right that was promised by India back in 1947". Radio Pakistan. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  5. ↑ Chawla, Gopal Singh. "Sikhs across the globe are thankful to Prime Minister Imran Khan and COAS Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa for constructing Kartarpur Corridor". Radio Pakistan. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  6. ↑ Rana, Yudhvir (12 November 2019). "Chawla makes jatha say 'Pak zindabad'". Times of India. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  7. ↑ "'Pakistan Zindabad': Chairman Punjabi Sikh Sangat rubbishes Indian media propaganda". ARY News. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  8. ↑ Prahst, Indira (18 June 2014). "Hundreds of Sikhs in Lahore commemorate 1984 Indian Army's Attack on Golden Temple". Sikh24. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  9. 1 2 Kaul, Aditya Raj (29 June 2020). "Will Pakistan's New 'Khalistan Avatar' Find Support In India?". The Quint. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  10. ↑ Singh, Varinder (13 July 2019). "Pak drops pro-Khalistan activist Gopal Chawla, others from PSGPC". The Tribune. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  11. ↑ "I'm treated like a dog, alleges pro-Khalistani leader Gopal Singh Chawla". Business Standard. 17 July 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  12. 1 2 Rana, Yudhvir (1 March 2020). "Pak's Khalistani leader Chawla honoured by PSGPC, ETPB". Times of India. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  13. ↑ Sehgal, Manjeet (14 July 2019). "Gopal Chawla still on ETP Board's panel which controls Sikh body". India Today. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  14. 1 2 3 Rana, Yudhvir (5 August 2021). "Under pressure, Pakistan blame India for Hindu temple desecration". Times of India. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  15. ↑ "Gopal Singh Chawla booked for illegally occupying land of Nankana Sahib". Sikh24. 2 April 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  16. ↑ "Pak's Khalistani Sikh leader issues apology after viral video insults police". The Journo View. New Delhi. 8 March 2025. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  17. ↑ Sharma, Sumit (5 March 2025). "'Twadi Maa Di K***': Khalistan Leader Gopal Singh Chawla Abuses Pak Cop For Not Letting His Guest Enter Nankana Sahib Gurudwara; Video". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  18. ↑ Gupta, Manoj (23 December 2025). "Pakistan's Quiet Confinement Of Sikh Leaders Mirrors China's Uyghur Playbook: Sources". News18. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  19. ↑ Rana, Yudhvir (3 June 2025). "Punjab Police arrests Pakistan spy from Tarn Taran for sharing sensitive info to ISI during Operation Sindoor". Times of India. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  20. ↑ Sehgal, Manjeet (3 February 2022). "How Khalistani leader Gopal Singh Chawla radicalised Punjab man to get sensitive IAF info". India Today. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  21. ↑ Rana, Yudhvir (21 October 2017). "Was part of Khalistan movement: Pakistan SGPC general secretary". Times of India. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  22. ↑ "Board of Directors". Punjabi Sikh Sangat. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
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