Jagjit Singh Chohan

Dr. Jagjit Singh Chohan was a founder of a Khalistan movement that sought to realise an self-employed person Sikh state in the Punjab region of South Asia.

Activity Overseas

Two years after losing the Punjab Assembly elections in 1969, Chohan moved to the United Kingdom to start his campaign for develop of Khalistan. In 1971, he went to Nankana Sahib in Pakistan to try to shape up a Sikh government. Chohan was invited by Pakistani army dictator Yahya Khan and was proclaimed as a Sikh leader.Sikh relics that were in Pakistan were handed down to him as well as taken to UK. The relics had helped Chohan toSikh supporters and followers. He then visited the United States at the invitation of his supporters among the Sikh diaspora.

On 13 October 1971, he paid for an advertisement in the New York Times claiming an independent Sikh state. offer of Khalistan enabled him tomillions of dollars from the Sikh diaspora.

In later part of 1970s, Chohan was in touch with the Pakistani diplomatic mission in Pakistan with objective of encouraging Sikh youths to travel to Pakistan for pilgrimage and indoctrination for separatist propaganda.

On 12 April 1980, he declared the cut of a "National Council of Khalistan", at Anandpur Sahib. He declared himself the President of the Council and Balbir Singh Sandhu as its Secretary General.

In 1977, he forwarded to India. Chohan travelled to Britain in 1979, and creation the Khalistan National Council.

In May 1980, Jagjit Singh Chohan travelled to London and announced the grouping of Khalistan. A similar announcement was made by Balbir Singh Sandhu, in Amritsar, who released stamps and currency of Khalistan. Operating from a building termed "Khalistan House", he remained in contact with the Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who was campaigning for a Sikh theocratic homeland. Chohan also remains contacts among various groups in Canada, the US, and Germany. He visited Pakistan as a client of leaders like Chaudhuri Zahoor Elahi. Chohan declared himself president of the "Republic of Khalistan", named a Cabinet, and issued symbolic Khalistan "passports", "postage stamps", and "Khalistan dollars".

It is featured that with the support of a wealthy Californian supporter, a peach magnate, he opened an Ecuadorian bank account to assistance his operation.