Pakistan’s ISI is trying to foment trouble in Punjab and banned Sikh militant outfits like the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) under pressure from the ISI are continuing their efforts to revive militancy in the state.
Fresh intelligence inputs suggest the militant outfits are planning to strike terror during the forthcoming Assembly elections in Punjab, expected to be held early in 2012, by targeting VIPs and carrying out mass killings through bomb blasts. Intelligence reports claim that the BKI and KZF cadres are planning to carry out violence and target important political leaders in the run up to the Assembly elections in the northern state.
The state police has received inputs of plans by the outfits to target VIPs, including the chief minister as well as police officers and Dera heads. The inputs also suggest plans to carry out mass killings through bomb blasts in the next few months. Home ministry officials here said that the threat from the Sikh militant groups is ‘’alive’’ and necessary steps are being taken to maintain tight vigil.
Even as Punjab continues to remain peaceful, there is a pressure from Pakistan’s ISI on Sikh militant groups to undertake spectacular action, an intelligence official noted.
The role of the ISI and outfits like the BKI, KZF, International Sikh Youth Federation and collaborators in European and North American countries in trying to revive Sikh militancy continues to be suspect. The fresh intelligence inputs point towards an untraced consignment of arms and ammunition suspected to have been transhipped across the border through the BKI for terror acts. There are continued attempts by terror outfits to push terrorist hardware into the country for use of pro-Sikh militants, the official said. The security agencies had noted movement of operatives from Uttar Pradesh to Nepal, their presence in Goa and earlier presence in Maharashtra.