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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Resurrecting Khalistan |
| 2005-06-07 |
| The arrest of two young men from Nawashehr in Punjab for alleged involvement in the bombing of the two cinema halls in New Delhi and the recovery of explosives from them has leant credence to suspicions that have been raised over the past three years that Pakistan is trying to resurrect the Khalistan insurgency in Punjab. The appointment of Lt-Gen Javed Nasir (former chief of the Pakistan Army Inter-Services Intelligence who played an important part in creating the Taliban extremist Islamic fundamentalist phalanx for use as Pakistani storm troopers to create "strategic depth" in Afghanistan) as head of the Pakistan Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (PGPC) was seen as calculated State policy to revive Sikh separatism. The former ISI chief also had considerable experience in the training and launching of the Khalistani brand of extremists into Punjab and it was obvious that his new posting was intended to give him a front to be able to interact with the several hundred hardcore Sikh separatists who were left stranded in Pakistan after the Khalistani movement was crushed by a combined Army, Punjab Police, Border Security Force, CRPF and Indo-Tibetan Border Police force deployed in "hammer and anvil" mode in the strife-torn Punjab. Major among these Sikh terrorist remnants who have been given refuge in gurdwaras in Pakistan under control of the PGPC is the Babbar Khalsa Commando Force. There are signs that Lt-Gen (Retd) Javed Nasir has not been able to resist the temptation of indulging his favourite pastime of encouraging terrorism in India. His appointment as chief of the PGPC was clearly intended by President-General Pervez Musharraf to utilize his expertise. The combination of the barbed wire fence and the operations by the Indian security forces in Jammu and Kashmir has resulted in a reduction of infiltration into the State and larger loss of personnel among the terrorists though hits against soft targets do occur quite regularly. But terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir is bringing diminishing returns for Pakistan.. That is why Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is showing signs of urgency to achieve a settlement on his terms which he can only do till there is still some fervour left in the Kashmiri separatist movement in the teeth of the global antipathy to terrorism of the jehadi type. It is not without reason that the Pakistan military establishment has done its best to shift the training camps and indoctrination centers run by terrorist organisations created by the ISI out of Pakistan. Bangladesh has become the hotbed for Islamic fundamentalist terrorist Organizations even as pressure is being mounted by the international coalition against terrorism on nations in South East Asia to crack down on their own indigenous modules if they are to make a credible contribution to the war against terror. Also, it makes no sense in feeding and training the Sikh terrorists inside Pakistan when they can be better employed in Punjab to try and retain an element of control over these useful proxies. Many former Khalistani terrorists have returned to India and given themselves up to the police like Zafarwal but there are also many who have tried to borough themselves among the civilian population and, as in the case of at least one of those who had been arrested in the cinema bomb blast case, has acquired a more credible camouflage by marrying local girls. It is these "moles" that are now being activated selectively and with very specific intent. The controversial film provided a rallying point and they were immediately put to use to try and rouse communal passions in a manner that has been the hallmark of the Pakistan ISI. At the same time there is an element of "networking" among several terrorist groups operating in India. At the height of the Khalistan insurgency there was evidence that the ISI had managed to forge linkages between it and the Sri Lanka LTTE and ULFA. It is in this context that the police and paramilitary forces need to forge closer cooperation so that these dormant modules can be detected and penetrated before they can be used to the detriment of the nation-State..The arrest of those wanted for the cinema bombings from Punjab shows that anyone indulging in such activity needs sanctuaries. Only good policing at the very grassroots level can deny them this. |
| Posted by:Shulet Omanter2221 |
| #4 Grom hits 9.92 on the Cynic Meter. A fine early summer reading. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-06-07 11:59 |
| #3 Punjab overlaps both India and Pakistan. In fact it's the bulk of Pakistan. India should call their bluff and start talks about independent Punjab composed of all historical Khalistan. I'd love to see Pakistan freak at the thought of losing the center of their nation. India would never do so because the ball might start rolling out of everyones control once stopped, but a secret plan released to a known spy might do the trick. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2005-06-07 10:34 |
| #2 Worked fine for Paks. They're being paid for being "allies in WOT", etc... |
| Posted by: gromgorru 2005-06-07 08:12 |
| #1 "...that Pakistan is trying to resurrect the Khalistan insurgency in Punjab..." Yeah, that Taliban thing worked out so well. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2005-06-07 07:14 |