Alarmed by the ISI’s renewed attempt to foment trouble in Punjab on “Operation Blue Star” anniversary on 1 June, the Centre on Thursday rushed 10 paramilitary or Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) companies to the state.
The Ministry of Home Affairs took the decision after a meeting between Home Minister Amit Shah and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Emerging out of the meeting, Mann said, “10 paramilitary companies have been already sent to Punjab earlier. Union Home Minister has assured to provide 10 more paramilitary companies by today evening to maintain law and order in Punjab.
The decision was prompted by a series of Intelligence Bureau (IB) and other reports that pointed towards sinister designs by Pakistan’s ISI to reignite the Khalistani movement and disturb law and order in a big way in the border state.
Sources told The Daily Guardian that ISI had a secret meeting in Lahore in the first week of May with several Punjab-centric terror outfits such as Babbar Khalsa chief Wadhawa Singh, Khalistan Jindabad Force chief Ranjit Singh Neeta, Khalistan Commando Force’s Paramjeet Singh and Rinda.
The meeting along with many other specific intelligence reports rang alarm bells both at the Centre and Punjab. The IB has already alerted the state government that pro-Khalistani elements may go big to disturb law and order on and before the anniversary of “Operation Blue Star” on 1 June. The IB sources said that the ISI had instructed the pro-Khalistani modules to unleash massive violence in Punjab with the help of gangsters who are in jails.
The Daily Guardian has learnt that the Punjab-centric outfits which have been operating from Pakistani soil have been told to supply weapons to pro-Khalistani modules in Punjab in a big way. The grenade attack on Punjab Police Intelligence Wing headquarters in Mohali this month was one such attempt, lodged by Pakistan-based gangster Harvinder Singh alias “Rinda”. Four Khalistani terrorists who were arrested in Karnal in Haryana recently with RDX and other weapons were also part of Babbar Khalsa. Rinda was a key person in the supply chain. Rinda, who is now operating from Lahore, is said to be supplying weapons to Punjab through drone at the behest of ISI. Rinda is now the blue-eyed boy of ISI and a key operator in planning and coordinating various fringe pro-Khalistani groups.
IB sources said that Pakistan has chalked out fresh plans to disturb Punjab along with Kashmir since Nadeem Anjum became the ISI chief a few months back. ISI has also embarked on major plans to mobilise support of pro-Khalistani elements residing in the UK, US, Canada and Italy.