New Delhi, July 7 (IANS) The Khalistan challenge remains significant, with counter-terror agencies maintaining heightened vigilance to prevent any resurgence of militancy. Despite sustained efforts by pro-Khalistan elements to revive the movement in Punjab, they have achieved little success so far.
Close coordination between the Punjab Police, intelligence agencies and other central agencies has led to the arrest of nearly 117 people and the busting of eight Khalistan-backed modules.
An Intelligence Bureau official said that with repeated crackdowns on Khalistan-backed modules, groups allegedly backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence are adopting new strategies to evade detection and confuse security agencies. “There is no single fixed pattern that they are following anymore,” the official said.
Security agencies had anticipated that Khalistani terror outfits such as the Babbar Khalsa International and the Khalistan Liberation Army might attempt large-scale attacks, including suicide bombings or major blasts. However, these groups have so far either refrained from carrying out such attacks or have been unable to execute them due to heightened vigilance by security agencies.
For the past few months, these groups relied on targeted killings and extortion to further their activities. As security agencies tightened the crackdown on these operations, they shifted their focus to narcotics smuggling. After months of concentrating on the drug trade, they moved to arms smuggling. For a brief period, some operatives also turned to counterfeiting before once again changing their methods.
An official said that while these operations are different in nature, the main common link remained the Khalistan movement. “All these operations were carried out by the same people and modules that are backed by the ISI. The idea is to keep the pot boiling and not get bogged down by the security agencies,” the official said.
Another official said that at a time when the ISI has been desperately trying to revive the movement, it is important for the Pakistani spy agency to keep the ball rolling at all times. A prolonged lull in activity would be counterproductive, as it could dry up funding, hamper recruitment efforts and, more importantly, erode the movement momentum.
Officials say that it is a fact that the Khalistan movement has not taken off the way these elements would have expected it to be. While these elements have been on the job, it is a fact that the security agencies have had more success. The ISI cannot afford this to happen for so long and hence has been devising newer tactics each time a major bust takes place, officials say.
The Punjab police and the central agencies, which have been at the forefront in fighting the Khalistan movement, have understood the manner in which the ISI has been devising new strategies. The agencies have been quick to pick up information about newer trends emerging and have largely beaten down any attempt being made by the Khalistani terror groups, officials point out.
The security agencies have also learnt that these persons do not just rely on newer technologies to further their cause. The payment methods have largely changed in this emerging world of terror. However, these Khalistani terror groups do not solely rely on advanced technology when it comes to transferring funds. They at times follow the traditional hawala method. By opening multiple channels for recruitment and fund transfers, these groups seek to confuse security agencies and make it harder for investigators to trace their networks and financial trails.
An official said that the Khalistan issue within the country is largely under control. However, the deployment of handlers overseas is the major cause for worry. The ISI has recruited handlers and ensured that these persons have set up bases in the Gulf, Europe and Pakistan. These handlers are relentless in their pursuit and are constantly looking to recruit radicalised youth from Punjab. This is an area of concern because if the youth start romanticising the Khalistan cause, then one would be starting at a larger problem, the official also said.
–IANS
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