New Delhi: The Khalistan movement, which the ISI is trying hard to revive, does not appear to be taking off, Indian agencies have learnt, as it has become an extortion racket and the old timers, especially those who are part of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), are taking objection to how it is shaping up.
The BKI leadership is blaming Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the proscribed chief of the banned terror outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), for turning the movement into an empty one that focuses largely on terrorising people so that it can run its extortion racket, officials say.
It feels that the SFJ, which was tasked with communications, is today more about running an extortion racket. Pannun makes empty threats, and most of his own followers have realised that. This is why the SFJ is losing heavily in terms of traction, officials also note.
An Intelligence Bureau official says that the ISI has tasked the BKI with reviving the movement. The outfit has some old timers who still choose ideology over money. The ISI had sensed that all the Khalistan-related outfits are not on the same page. The ISI had, in fact, instructed each of these outfits to operate as one. Having multiple groups meant multiple command centres, and this was not working out as each of them chose their own style of functioning.
The official said that the ISI wanted all terror outfits to work as the Babbar Khalsa International and not individually. This meant outfits such as the Khalistan Liberation Force, Khalistan Tiger Force, Sikhs for Justice, Khalistan Zindabad Force, International Sikh Youth Federation, and the Khalistan Command Force all had to operate under the Babbar Khalsa International, the official added.
Another official added that it is Pannun who is the reason for the lack of unity. He is a man who does not believe in ideology and is only interested in calling for referendums and also threatening people into parting with their money.
Moreover, the Khalistan terror groups have realised that the referendums that Pannun has called for have gained no traction anymore. He proclaims that lakhs of people attend these referendums that are held abroad. In reality, hardly 100 people turn up for such events, but the money he collects for such referendums is not accounted for. The ISI and its Khalistan terror groups suspect that Pannun has been pocketing the money and just distributing it among his key aides.
This lack of unity and siphoning off of funds has hurt the movement and its revival. Groups such as the BKI are unable to convince the people about the need for the Khalistan movement. They are finding it hard to recruit youth and carry out operations in Punjab due to this fact. Even those whom the BKI have tried to recruit are questioning the very meaning of this movement while citing activities that are carried out by Khalistan terror groups abroad.
Another official said that the SFJ lost the plot when it started targeting Sikhs and threatening them into parting with money. This has not gone down well, and hence the recruitments are not taking place the way the ISI would have wanted, the official added.
With such problems cropping up regularly, the ISI had even told the BKI to lure youth by offering them money. Many have refused such bait, as they feel that the cause is worthless and the assignment too risky.
The rifts within these outfits worsened when India, the United Kingdom and Canada decided to put up a united front to take down these Khalistani elements. India is working closely with these countries to hunt down such elements, and these renewed partnerships under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have hurt these elements further. They are no longer able to carry out massive events and get away with it, as the law enforcement agencies abroad are keeping close tabs on them. There is also Intelligence sharing between all these countries, which has also hurt the operations of these Khalistani elements, officials say.
Officials say that Pannun’s reign of terror will be short-lived as he is being closely tracked by the agencies. Making matters worse for him is that he has lost the trust of the rest of the Khalsitan outfits, officials also contend.
(IANS)
