Pakistan may have put renewed pressure on Punjab militants
Ajay Bharadwaj
The Times of India
June 19, 1999
Title: Pakistan may have put renewed pressure on Punjab militants
Author: Ajay Bharadwaj
Publication: The Times of India
Date: June 19, 1999
After engaging India's security attention in the Kargil sector,
Pakistan is understood to have put renewed pressure on the Punjab
militants to foment internal strife as well.
According to an official report, Pakistan-based Punjab militants are
being constantly egged on to implement the ISI plans for the
resurgence of militancy in the state. Under the new strategy, the
Punjab militants have been reportedly directed to coordinate their
nefarious designs with the J & K militants, who might strike
simultaneously to put the security forces under more pressure.
Officials say, the ISI plan envisages to create internal law and order
problem in the border states to further jeopardise the national
security, which has been already put under strain in the Kargil
sector.
The plan of the Babbar Khalsa militant group to engage a human bomb
targeted at former Punjab police director general K.P.S. Gill in New
Delhi this month, is being considered part of the design to revive
violence.
Pakistan-based chief of the Babbar Khalsa International Wadhava Singh
and chief of the ISYF Lakhbir Singh Rode are said to be among the top
Punjab militants who, in league with the ISI, have been assigned the
task of carrying out militant killings.
Besides these, two militant organisations, the ISI also proposes to
reactivate members of the Khalistan Zindabad Force hiding in
Pakistan. The report says that the Punjab militants have been told
the seek assistance of "Mujahideen" to implement their violent plans,
in case they fell short of hands within their groups.
Recent reports from across the border indicated that one of the major
cause of the Punjab militants lying low in the recent past was that,
they did not one of the major cause of the Punjab militants lying low
in the recent past was that they did not have adequate man-power to
conduct the ground operations.
The number of militants hiding in Pakistan estimated to be ranging
around two dozen and with fresh recruitments to their ranks not taking
place at all, the militant leaders have been cooling their heels in
Pakistan, without delivering results to their ISI masters.
Officials say that, militants were being also motivated not to give
"undue consideration" to the Badal-led Akali Dal government for
deciding against creating violence in the state. A section of
militants had all along been opposing reviving militancy during the
Akali government tenure. Yet the threat perception for the chief
minister and his family has been lately quite high, officials added.
J.P. Birdi, inspector-general of the Border Range told this newspaper
that the police had been alerted against such threats of revival of
militancy. He said the ISI had been desperately looking for
opportunities for disturbing the peace once again in Punjab. He,
however, ruled out the possibility of militancy resurging in the old
fashion.
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