ISI trying to revive Sikh militancy: Government

NEW DELHI: India today blamed Pakistan for trying to revive Sikh militancy and said youth are being trained in ISI facilities to carry out terror attacks in the country.


Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said there have been significant developments on the Sikh militancy front and its commanders based in Pakistan are under pressure from the ISI to further the Pakistani intelligence agency's terror plans not only in Punjab but also other parts of India.

"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 addressing the conference of Chief Ministers on internal security.

Shinde said Sikh youth based and settled in Europe and the US were also being motivated towards militancy and a large quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives, including RDX have managed to find its way into Punjab through the borders.

He said a significant quantity of RDX has since been recovered in police action in Rajasthan and Punjab in the last one year.

The Home Minister said India continues to face serious challenges to its internal security scenario from Jehadi terrorists and terror groups were taking advantage of communication channels which have become more sophisticated over a period of time.

"From mobile phones, terrorists today have moved on to use of satellite phones, Thuraya sets, use of spoofed IDs and coded transactions over e-mail and chat sessions, besides Voice over Internet Protocol to communicate across the border," he said.