The Council of Khalistan is a non‐profit political organization based in Washington, D.C., United States.[1] It is seeking to create a homeland for Sikhs by establishing a sovereign state called Khalistan.[2] The Council of Khalistan is one of the key fighting forces of the Khalistan movement.[3] It played important role during the Insurgency in Punjab.[4][5][6]
 Webpage banner logo of the Council of Khalistan | |
| Formation | 12 April 1980 |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Khalistan movement |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
President | Bakhshish Singh Sandhu |
| Website | https://councilofkhalistan.com |
The organization was created On 12 April 1980, when separatist leader Jagjit Singh Chohan officially announced the formation of the Council of Khalistan at Anandpur Sahib and declared himself to be the president. Balbir Singh Sindhu as its Secretary-General. Chohan presented himself as the president of the Republic of Khalistan, set up a cabinet, and issued Khalistani passports, stamps, and currency. On 13 June 1984, Chohan announced a government in exile. On 24 January 1993, It was briefly admitted in the UNPO, as a representative of Khalistan, but was suspended in just a few months.[7][8][9][10][11][12]
List of presidents
The president of the Council of Khalistan is the leader and head of the organization. The title was created in 1980 when Jagjit Singh Chohan declared himself to be the president. There have been three presidents of CoK since the post was established.
| S. No. | Name | Portrait | Term start | Term end | Time in office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Jagjit Singh Chohan | 12 April 1980 | 7 October 1987 | 7 years, 178 days | [13] | |
| 2. | Gurmit Singh Aulakh |  | 7 October 1987 | 21 June 2017 | 29 years, 257 days | [14] |
| 3. | Bakhshish Singh Sandhu |  | 7 October 2017 | Incumbent | 6 years, 229 days | [15] |