While the state of law and order is evident with the murder of Shiv Sena leader Sudhir Suri, it can be recollected that the state has open borders to those who have been here to destroy the Hindu-Sikh civilization carrying a serious hate for the hinduvadi government of Bharatiya Janata Party. Ever realize that the Khalistanis or Khalsa carry a majority in Punjab, despite their presence a mass Christian conversion happening around the state?

Massive Christian conversions in presence of Sikh extremists? Are these Khalistanis here to preserve cultural Sikh civilization or they’re just paid extremists from the anti-India forces?

The above tweet raises legitimate questions. So let’s encapsulate the source of their encouragement.

The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Agency of Pakistan and pro-Khalistan separatists stationed in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom have all provided financial and logistical support to the Khalistan movement during both of its heydays.

In particular, the ISI spy agency in Pakistan, according to Indian defense analyst Ajai Sahni, “coordinated their activities with Islamist terrorist organizations such as the Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, as well as with organized crime operators, and drug and weapons smugglers who have assisted in the movement of men and materials across the border into Punjab.”

Additionally, says international policy analyst Christine Fair, “[t]he involvement of the diaspora was an important dimension of the Sikh insurgency. Not only was it a source of diplomatic and financial support, but it was also a factor in enabling Pakistan to get involved in fueling the Sikh separatist efforts. Sikhs in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States played important roles in arranging for cadres to travel to Pakistan, where they received financial and military assistance.”

Supporters of Khalistan in the West have actively lobbied the governments of the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom against India while raising money for the terrorist organizations operating in Khalistan. They frequently transfer money using unofficial hawala networks, which are frequently used by criminal and terrorist groups in South Asia.

Further, the FBI, DEA, and United States Customs Service have all conducted investigations into the activities of pro-Khalistan extremists in the US (USCS).

For instance, in March 2017, US resident Khalistan extremist Balwinder Singh was found guilty of giving material support to terrorist organizations in India and given a 15-year sentence in federal prison. On “charges of conspiracy to offer material support to terrorists, conspiracy to murder or otherwise harm persons in a foreign nation,” as well as for fabricating an asylum claim, the FBI detained him in 2013. Singh was helping BKI and another organization, Khalistan Zindabad Force, carry out terrorist acts in India.

In addition, a USCS undercover sting operation on California-based Khalistan activist Bhajan Singh Bhinder revealed that he tried to buy military-grade weapons, including “M-16s, A.K.-47s, detonators, night-vision goggles, mobile communications equipment, remote-control equipment, grenade and rocket launchers,” for Khalistan groups carrying out terror attacks in India. After Bhinder subsequently pulled out of the agreement, the probe was terminated. Later, Bhinder founded several additional organizations, most notably the Organization for Minorities of India (OFMI), which promotes anti-Indian and anti-Hindu sentiment.

Sikhs for Justice, another US-based organization, is the most well-known pro-Khalistan organization in the west and is rumored to have the ISI’s backing. Although it has acknowledged ties to terrorists jailed in Khalistan and people accused of being involved in extensive terror plots in India, it purports to seek a referendum on Khalistan in 2020 peacefully. For instance, it paid for Jagtar Singh Tara’s legal defense. Tara was the mastermind behind the 1995 murder of the Chief Minister of India’s Punjab state by the Khalistan Tiger Force, a group that India has labeled as a terrorist organization.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, SFJ’s legal adviser, and Paramjit Singh Pamma, a BKI fundraiser wanted by Indian authorities for financial support of terrorism, are also closely connected. According to reports, Mr. Pannun was detained by British authorities in 2000 after getting terrorist training in Pakistan. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison for his alleged affiliation with BKI, a terrorist organization that is illegal in the UK, though he disputes the claim. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, SFJ’s legal adviser, and Paramjit Singh Pamma, a BKI fundraiser wanted by Indian authorities for financial support of terrorism, are also closely connected. According to reports, Mr. Pannun was detained by British authorities in 2000 after getting terrorist training in Pakistan. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison for his alleged affiliation with BKI, a terrorist organization that is illegal in the UK, though he disputes the claim.

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