NB Explains | Amritpal Singh and ISI links

The hunt for Khalistan sympathiser and Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh Sandhu entered the third day. In order to catch him, the Centre has alerted border forces that he “may try” to cross over to Pakistan or Nepal.

 

 

Amid their hunt, the Punjab police on Monday said they have a "very strong suspicion of an ISI angle and foreign funding" in 'Waris Punjab De' - the group led by Singh. ""Going by the circumstances, it seems that ISI is involved and there is foreign funding as well. The bulletproof jackets and rifles that have been recovered and the gate (of the house) of the chief (Amritpal Singh) had AKF written on them. There was an attempt to form a Jathebandi called 'Anandpur Khalsa Fauj", said IGP Punjab, Sukhchain Singh Gill.

 

Apart from this, Amritpal Singh was trained by Pakistani spy agency ISI in Georgia prior to coming to India and had close links with Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). He is part of a conspiracy by Pakistan to revive militancy in the border state.

 

When he was in Dubai, which is a hub for ISI agents, Amritpal Singh became a part of this conspiracy in exchange of huge amount of money to revive militancy and create chaos in Punjab. Therefore, he was sent to Georgia for training by ISI before his flight to India. He has also links with SFJ and even campaigned for latter’s activities on social media

 

As many as 114 people have been arrested so far in the crackdown that started Saturday.

 

 

Punjab Police have pressed charges under the National Security Act (NSA) against five Amritpal aides, who are currently in Assam's Dibrugarh. A few more aides of Amritpal are likely to be flown to Dibrugarh.

 

Briefing reporters, IGP Sukhchain Singh Gill also said the NSA had been imposed on Daljit Kalsi, Bhagwant Singh alias Pardhanmantri Bajeke, Basant Singh Daulatpura, Gurmeet Singh Bukkanwala and Harjit Singh who is Amritpal’s uncle. The five are currently lodged in a jail in Assam’s Dibrugarh.

 

A fresh FIR, pressing charges under Arms Act against Amritpal and his associates, have triggered speculations that the matter will be taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Total six cases with a range of charges have been filed against Amritpal and his associates so far.

 

 

The Punjab government extended the suspension of mobile internet and SMS services till Tuesday noon to "maintain pblic order". The police also withheld the Twitter accounts of several users, including some journalists reporting from Punjab, "after analysing the content".

 

 

A group of pro-Khalistan protesters on Sunday attacked and damaged the Indian Consulate in San Francisco, prompting sharp condemnation from Indian-Americans who demanded immediate action against those responsible for it. In a meeting with the US Charge d’Affaires in New Delhi, India conveyed its "strong protest" at the vandalisation of the property of the Consulate General of India, San Francisco.

 

"The US Government was reminded of its basic obligation to protect and secure diplomatic representation. It was asked to take appropriate measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents," an official statement from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs read. "Our Embassy in Washington DC also conveyed our concerns to the US State Department along similar lines," it added.

 

 

In Canberra, Khalistan supporters gathered outside the Australian parliament to protest against police crackdown on Singh and his aides.

 

The developments came a day after the tricolour flying atop the Indian High Commission in London was pulled down by a group of protesters waving separatist Khalistani flags and chanting pro-Khalistan slogans.

 

 

ISI, which is said to be the "brain" behind the growth of Amritpal Singh, has instigated overseas Khalistan supporters to organise protests and demonstrations abroad in his support. He is backed by all Khalistan organisations based in US, UK and Pakistan. They said the overseas protests were the desperate attempt by the ISI to build followership of Amritpal who has been hiding from the Punjab Police for the last three days.

 

Reports suggest all these acts by the pro-Khalistan elements -- in London, San Francisco, and Canberra -- were orchestrated by ISI agents operating in different countries.