New Delhi, Sep 5 — Pro-Khalistan outfits operating in foreign countries altered their operational framework under direct instructions from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), shifting focus from violent crime toward political campaigning to evade international law enforcement crackdowns, intelligence officials say.

With the international agencies now working closely with the Indian authorities on the Khalistan issue, these groups have decided to change their modus operandi.

The Khalistan movement abroad is increasingly shifting towards a political campaign rather than a violent one.

The Pakistani spy agency that controls this movement has clearly instructed the pro-Khalistan groups not to openly engage with the gangsters as they have been doing all these days.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that the shift comes amidst the close coordination between the Indian and various international security agencies.

This has led to a severe crackdown, which has made operations hard for these groups.

“The crackdown was possible as these Khalistani groups were indulging in violence, extortion rackets, and money laundering. Their close nexus with the criminal gangs abroad gave the agencies the leeway to act tough on them as heinous crimes, which included murders, narcotic smuggling and money laundering,” the official said.

The ISI realises the importance of keeping pro-Khalistan groups such as Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) relevant. They have been encouraged to pursue the issue as a purely political movement, organising referendums, holding marches and demanding a separate Khalistan carved out of Punjab.

Another official said that the Khalistan movement has always been viewed as a violent one. While it worked to a certain extent in the 1980s and 1990s in Punjab, the movement was defeated owing to stringent action by the security forces.

While the violence did result in the deaths of thousands of people back then, today it is not gaining any traction in Punjab owing to its violent past. This prompted Pakistan’s ISI to direct the Khalistan groups to shift gear and turn this into a pure political movement.

“The ISI wants the people of Punjab to resonate with this movement by treating it as a pure political cause meant to fight for the rights of the Sikhs,” the official said.

Another official cited the August 16 event held by the SFJ at Richard G Lugar Plaza in Indianapolis, the US. Called the Punjab Independence Referendum, the event reportedly had thousands of participants in attendance.

Long queues were seen at the event, the official added.

“There may not have been any constitutional or legal authority for the event. But it still creates a perception among the people and offers groups such as the SFJ an opportunity to show to the world that they have public support. This is a dangerous trend, and the ISI is aware of this; hence the fresh directives were issued,” the official also added.

The officials further said that the SFJ and other pro-Khalistan groups would, going forward, avoid anti-India rhetoric, calls for attacks on India, or demands for the killing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Such acts do not fall within the scope of freedom of speech, nor do they suggest that the movement is peaceful or political. Calls to commit violent crimes are a matter for the security agencies and cannot be treated as legitimate political expression,” the officials pointed out.

During the event at Indianapolis, the SFJ declared Shimla as the proposed future capital of the so-called Democratic Republic of Khalistan.

The chief of the SFJ, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, accused the Indian government of pursuing policies detrimental to the Sikh community. He said that the Sikh community was facing pressures on the economic, social and demographic fronts as well.

Officials say that this is a clear sign that these pro-Khalistan groups are pursuing a political message instead of propagating violence.

This is a clever shift, and it is aimed at creating a narrative among the Sikh community in Punjab and also the diaspora abroad. The idea is to keep the movement alive through legal means and ensure that they do not come under the agencies both in India as well as abroad, an official said.

From violence to politics: ISI directs Khalistan groups to change tack after crackdown

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