Arrested Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal has revealed Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence’s elaborate plans for reviving Sikh militancy by carrying out “spectacular” actions.
Yasin has told interrogators that the proceeds of drug trade through the Indo-Pak border in Punjab are being given to Sikh militant outfits like the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), whose masterminds have been given shelter in Pakistan. He told investigators that Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has transshipped a huge consignment of explosives to Punjab through BKI for carrying out action at a later date. He, however, feigned ignorance about where the consignment had been stored.
With Yasin being the key commander of the banned Indian Mujahideen (IM), the agencies are also aiming to cripple the outfit’s network of sleeper cells and active modules across the country by extracting as much information as possible. Interrogators said once he spills the beans on the IM’s hideouts and training infrastructure, the sleuths will take him to some North Indian States and Bihar where the outfit has a considerable presence, for a crackdown against sleeper cells.
The key IM mastermind has revealed that movement of Sikh terrorists has also been noticed in Nepal via Uttar Pradesh. During interrogation, Yasin has revealed that a Pakistan Army lieutenant Colonel, serving in the ISI, was his handler. The ISI official used to give instructions to Yasin for executing terror acts in India. He also confessed that the Pakistan Army officer was in regular touch with him over phone and e-mail, gave him instructions and took updates on works done. He also funded him through hawala channels for recruiting radicalised youth to the IM fold.
Meanwhile, laptop computers and mobile phones seized from Yasin’s possession have been sent for forensic examination and the reports are expected to reveal vital clues on active terror modules. ISI, according to Intelligence reports, has been continuously pressurising Sikh militant groups like the BKI, Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF), Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) and their collaborators in European and North American countries to revive Sikh militancy which could have ramifications for the entire country.
The National Investigation Agency that has taken custody of Yasin has been investigating Sikh militancy. BKI has plans to target important political leaders and police officers of the State besides organisations like Dera Sacha Sauda and Rashtriya Sikh Sangat. The latest ISI strategy to revive Sikh militancy seeks to create internal disturbance in Punjab and beyond, with the twin objective of achieving volatility in a bordering State and projecting the same as homegrown terror within India, officials said.
According to available inputs, ISI aims to push terrorist hardware from across the border for the use of pro-Sikh militants. The ISI has also been funding non-FCRA registered NGOs in the State and has been making attempts to radicalise Sikh youth during pilgrimage to that country and using the Indian diaspora in Europe, Canada and UK for terrorist activities.
In the past, Punjab Police has underscored concerns over encrypted communication using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)/Skype by terrorists and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) is working on ways to find a de-encryption solution. The IB is also working on finding a technical solution to deal with the spillover of telecom signals from Pakistani mobile service companies into the Indian territory that pose a threat to security.
Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in the hinterland since 1993 has resulted in over 120 terror attacks resulting in killing of more than 1,200 civilians and injuries to over 4,000 citizens.