Khalistan refers to a global political secessionist movement to create a separate Sikh

Sikh

A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...

 state, called Khālistān ' onMouseout='HidePop("36931")' href="/topics/Khalsa">Pure

Khalsa

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"), carved out of parts mostly consisting of the Punjab region

Punjab region

The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...

 of India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, depending on definition.

Harking back to the 18th century Sikh Empire, the envisioned Sikh

Sikhism

Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh Gurus . It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing...

 state would include all Punjabi-speaking areas in Greater Punjab.

The movement reached its zenith in 1970s and 1980s, flourishing in the Indian state of Punjab which has a Sikh-majority population and has been the traditional birthplace and homeland of the Sikh religion.