It’s not a secret that terrorism in Kashmir continues to have the unflinching support of Pakistan. At its peak, the period of terrorism in Punjab was also funded and supported by the terror state to India’s west. Now, in what further cements the beliefs of a thriving nexus between Islamists and Khalistanis, Delhi Police’s Special Cell on Monday arrested five suspected terrorists after an encounter in the National Capital’s Shakarpur area. While two of that arrested hail from Punjab, three others are over ground workers of the Hizbul Mujahideen, according to Delhi Police.
Importantly, the two terrorists from Punjab are the same individuals who killed Shaurya Chakra awardee and anti-Khalistan crusader Balwinder Singh Bhikhiwind. Balwinder Singh was shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants at his residence in Bhikhiwind in Punjab’s Tarn Taran. “This case is being investigated by Punjab Police. They have confessed that the weapons seized today are the same that were used then (for the murder). But this is a matter of investigation,” DCP Special Cell, Delhi Police said. The DCP also informed that gangsters are being used for targeted killings in Punjab. “It serves two purposes – creating communal disharmony and demoralising people who stand against terrorism.”
The Delhi Police’s Special Cell did not mince its words in saying that the ISI is trying to link Khalistani movement with terrorism in Kashmir. “ISI is acting as the glue between the two movements and trying to link the two terror findings,” DCP Special Cell Pramod Kushwaha told media on Monday. Not only do the terrorists from Kashmir have ties to the ISI and terror organisation in Pakistan, but the two gangsters from Punjab also have linkages to Pakistan-based ISI operatives.
Those arrested have been identified as Shabbir Ahmed, Ayub Pathan, Riyaz, Gurjeet Singh and Sukhdeep Singh. The unholy alliance between Islamists and Khalistanis seeking to ruin India with active support from Pakistan has been laid bare before all. If it wasn’t already clear, terrorism both in Kashmir and Punjab has been supported historically by Pakistan, particularly after the Indo-Pak war of 1971, after which the terror state vowed to create an East Bangladesh right next to their borders. In line with the same, separatist elements are being provided with finances and arms and ammunition to wage a war against the Indian state.
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Meanwhile, Khalistani elements have also infiltrated the ongoing farmers’ protests against the three revolutionary farm laws which seek to reform India’s agricultural sector. The Delhi Police though have confirmed that the arrest of five terrorists on Monday had no connection to the farmers’ protest. Nevertheless, the city police have stepped up vigil and intensified checks following the arrest.