Pakistan's ISI reviving Punjab militancy: Shinde at CMs' meet

Sikh youths being trained by ISI, claims Union Home Minister at chief ministers' meet

Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Wednesday said Pakistan is trying to revive militancy in Punjab.

Addressing the chief ministers' conference on internal security here, Shinde said: "Punjab militancy threat growing again. Sikh youths being trained by ISI (Inter Services Intelligence) facilities in Pakistan. Sikh youths in US, Europe are also being motivated in this regard."

"There have also been some significant developments on the Sikh militancy front. Its commanders based in Pakistan are under pressure from ISI to further ISI's terror plans not only in Punjab but also in other parts of the country. Sikh youth are being trained in ISI facilities in Pakistan. Interdictions and interrogations have revealed use of jailed cadres, unemployed youth, criminals and smugglers by Pak based Sikh terror groups for facilitating terror attacks," he said.

"Sikh youth based and settled in Europe and US are also being motivated in this regard. A large quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives, including RDX have managed to find its way into Punjab through the borders, even as a significant quantity of RDX has since been recovered in police action in Rajasthan and Punjab in the last one year," he added.

He further said that India has long and porous border with Bangladesh and Nepal, which have been used by Pak-based jehadi groups to ex-filtrate terrorists out of India for training in Pakistan and induction of terrorist elements/hardware/finance into India for actions.

"Jehadi tanzeems in Pakistan with affiliation to LeT, JeM and IM have set up channels for transfer of funds from Pakistan to India via Gulf and Nepal, besides using Western Union Money Transfer and Hawala channel. Moreover, ex-SIMI cadres and similar militant elements based in Gulf have also been observed collecting money for causing destruction in India," he said.

Asserting that to combat terrorism, there exists a very close and effective coordination amongst intelligence agencies at the Centre and State level, Shinde said: "Intelligence inputs about possible designs and threats are shared with the State Governments concerned on a regular basis."

"The Multi Agency Centre (MAC) has been strengthened and reorganized to enable it to function on 24x7 basis for real time collation and sharing of intelligence. This has resulted in busting of many terrorist modules and a number of possible terrorist attacks have been averted," he added.

He further informed that as far as investigation of the terror attacks by our investigating agencies is concerned, most of the incidents happened after 26/11 have been worked out.

" In almost all the cases, accused persons have been arrested, several have been declared absconders and Red Corner Notices have been issued and charge sheets filed. However, a few cases like Varanasi Bomb Blast, Mehrauli Bomb Blast and the bomb blasts in Hyderabad and Bengaluru are under investigation and we are hopeful of a break through," he added.