The foundation of Tarn Taran city was laid by fifth Sikh guru,
Guru Arjan Dev in 1596. The area of Tarn Taran Sahib later came under the control of the
Bhangi Misl ruled by a powerful Sikh family of Dhillon clan from 1716 to 1810. During the
Insurgency in Punjab, India, Tarn Taran was the key stronghold of well-funded and armed Sikh separatist groups. Several key separatist leaders trace their origins to Tarn Taran, including but not limited to
Sukhdev Singh Babbar, co-founder of
Babbar Khalsa,
Avtar Singh Brahma, co-founder of the
Khalistan Liberation Force,
Labh Singh of the
Khalistan Commando Force, and
Gurbachan Singh Manochahal founder of the
Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan. In the fall of 1984, the Tarn Taran district was impacted by
Operation Woodrose which resulted in the establishment of arms trafficking between Pakistan's
Inter-Services Intelligence and Sikh militants in Tarn Taran, initiated by former Pakistani President
Muhammad Zia Ul-Haq. By the end of the 1980s and following Zia's death, Pakistan began to reallocate support for militancy from Punjab toward
Jammu and Kashmir. Today, the Tarn Taran district remains one of the most adversely impacted districts for narcotics and arms trafficking from Pakistan. In the post-independence era,
Partap Singh Kairon is among Tarn Taran's most well known residents. Kairon was a freedom fighter during British rule and served as the 3rd Chief Minister of Punjab from 1956-1964. He was assassinated in Sonipat district, now within Haryana, on February 8, 1965. ==Demographics==