Pak reviving older anti-India hatred tactics to promote extremism: Report

Pakistan is reviving previous tactics to spread hatred, disrupt communal harmony and promote extremism in India as Islamabad has been supporting jihadi activities against New Delhi to disrupt peace

Pakistan is reviving its previous tactics to spread hatred, disrupt communal harmony and promote extremism in India as Islamabad has been supporting jihadi activities against New Delhi to disrupt peace in the country, according to a report.

Pakistan's security apparatus has for decades supported jihadi and Khalistani groups that have targeted India, and a revival of this activity should be a source of concern to the American national security apparatus as well as India's, said the Hudson Institute's report.

A recent arrest in Germany shows Islamabad's support for spreading extremism in India.

Last year in December Jaswinder Singh Multani was arrested in Germany by the country's authority for allegedly masterminding a blast at Ludhiana court in December last year. Officials in the Asian nation had blamed Sikh separatists based in Europe for the attack and alleged that Multani was the mastermind behind the attack, according to the report

Authorities believed that Multani "has links to Pakistan and has been involved in smuggling of arms and ammunition from across the border into Punjab." Authorities had previously accused him of "arranging and sending weapons consignments comprising explosives, hand grenades and pistols from across the border with the help of Pakistan-based operatives," according to Hudson Institute.

The Institute further stated that Multani is reportedly a leading member of the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) movement. The SFJ's public face, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, has apparently confirmed this fact, revealing a close relationship with Multani. Over the years, Sikhs for Justice has written public letters to the prime minister of Pakistan and the presidents of Russia and China, seeking their support against India.

The issue of Khalistan may appear to many to be a purely internal issue for New Delhi, but the recent increase in Khalistan-related anti-India activism within the US is occurring as the United States and India collaborate in confronting China's rise, especially in the Indo-Pacific. Therefore, Pakistan, a critical Chinese ally, has a vested interest in weakening the India-US collaboration, said the Hudson Institute.

The Hudson Institute report, Pakistan's Destabilization Playbook: Khalistan Separatism within the US, which was authored by a group, emphasises the need for law enforcement in Western countries to be vigilant with respect to Pakistan-backed extremist groups.

The activities of Khalistani groups located in North America should be investigated, within the limits prescribed by law, to prevent a reoccurrence of the violence orchestrated by the Khalistan movement in the 1980s, according to the institute.