What did the Sikha say? It had a hair-raising experience.

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Sikha shahi (سکھا شاہی, lit. 'Sikh rule') or Khalsa raj (خالصہ راج, lit. 'Khalsa rule') is a term used for the period of Sikh rule in Punjab, Peshawar, Jammu and Kashmir. In the contemporary usage, it denotes the high-handedness of a ruler.^[1]^[2]^[3]

About 70 per cent of the subjects of the Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh were Muslim.^[4] In popular Muslim imagination, the Sikh period became synonymous with a rule of anarchy and religious intolerance.^[5]^[6] The phrase now refers to the dictatorial rule^[7] or unfavourable court orders^[8] in Pakistan, especially in the Punjab province.^[9]^[10] In Kashmir Valley, it used commonly to refer to summary justice as opposed to the one made after inquiry.^[3]^[11] In Peshawar lexicon, the term gained meaning of "might is right", and when British ultimately conquered the Sikh state in 1849, the people welcomed it as freeing them from oppression of 'Sikha shahi'.^[12]

In Multan and southern Punjab, the Sikh rule as well as the continued dominance of Lahore is remembered as the rule of Takht Lahore (lit. 'throne of Lahore' or 'Lahore darbar').^[13]

Notes

[edit]

↑ Tandon, Prakash (1968). Punjabi Century, 1857-1947. University of California Press. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-520-01253-0.
↑ Nevile, Pran (2006). Lahore. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. ISBN 978-93-86651-91-4.
1 2 Lawrence, Sir Walter Roper (2005). The Valley of Kashmir. Asian Educational Services. p. 200. ISBN 978-81-206-1630-1.
↑ Hasan, Prof M. (2002). History of Islam (2 Vols.). Adam Publishers & Distributors. ISBN 978-81-7435-019-0.
↑ "Back to Sikha Shahi rule?". Pakistan Today. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
↑ Kamal, Ajmal (11 January 2015). "COLUMN:The uses of language snobbery:Urdu & the identity politics". Dawn. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
↑ Shehzad, Rizwan (6 March 2018). "'Arbitrary rule': Sharif asks people to revolt against 'sikha shahi'". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
↑ "Court must act against Nawaz for 'Sikha Shahi' remark: Kaira". The Nation. 21 December 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
↑ Allen, Charles (2012). Soldier Sahibs: The Men Who Made the North-West Frontier. John Murray Press. ISBN 978-1-84854-720-9.
↑ Reporter, The Newspaper's Staff (6 March 2018). "Ex-PM talks about power of vote again". Dawn. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
↑ "When Kashmir Says 'Sikha Shahi,' It Means More Than History". Kashmir Observer. 24 February 2026. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
↑ Zia-ud-Din, Mian (1976). Memoirs of a Pakistani Diplomat. University Book Agency. p. 4.
↑ Taylor, David; Kim, Heewon (2022). Civil Society in South Asia. Taylor & Francis. p. 80. ISBN 978-1-000-64645-0.

Sikh Empire

Rulers

Military
conflicts

Mughal-Sikh Wars	Battle of Bhangani Nadaun Basoli 1st Anandpur 2nd Anandpur Chamkaur Sarsa Muktsar Sonepat Samana Sirhind Sadhaura Chappar Chiri Rahon Lohgarh Jalalabad Jammu Gurdas Nangal Delhi
Afghan–Sikh wars	Battle of Attock Battle of Multan Battle of Shopian Battle of Nowshera Battle of Peshawar Battle of Jamrud
First Anglo-Sikh War	Battle of Mudki Battle of Ferozeshah Battle of Aliwal Battle of Sobraon
Second Anglo-Sikh War	Battle of Ramnagar Battle of Chillianwala Siege of Multan Battle of Gujrat
Others	Nepal–Sikh War, Sino-Sikh war, Katoch–Sikh War, Hill States–Sikh Wars, Panchayati Revolution, List of battles involving the Sikh Empire

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Gurdwaras in Pakistan

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Punjab Anand Karaj Bill, 2017

Persecution

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Incidents	Nankana massacre in 1921 Partition of India (including Rawalpindi massacres and Violence against women) 2010 beheadings

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