Referendum 2020: Under the guise of social justice, a dreaded plan to revive Khalistan

New Delhi, Aug 10: There is hectic activity to ensure that the Referendum 2020 event to be held in London is a major success. Much to India's dismay, the UK government sent a formal Note Verbale to Delhi conveying its inability to block the event.

The proposed event will be held at the Trafalgar Square on August 12 and is being organised by the SJF or the Sikhs for Justice. Officials in India tell OneIndia that the the SJF has been acting as a front for terror activities.

The SJF is a New York based organisation which is organising the event and several reports in India prepared by the various agencies clearly suggest that it is a pro-Khalistan front. It has been instrumental in undertaking both pro-khalistan and anti-India activities, both in the US and other countries.

On the radar:

On the radar of the Indian agencies is Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is a US-resident and also closely associated with the SJF as its legal advisor. He is one of the main persons behind the August 12 event. It may be recalled that he had tried to stall the arrest of Jagtar Singh Tara's extradition from Thailand to India. Tara who is an accused in the murder of former chief minister of Punjab, Beant Singh is a member of the Khalistan Tiger Force, which is declared as a terrorist outfit in India.

Officials say that Pannun had even fought the case for Paramjit Singh Pamma, a Khalistan terrorist arrested in Portugal. While Tara was extradited from Thailand, in the case of Pamma, the Portuguese refused.

The ISI hand:

Indian agencies say that there is a clear ISI hand behind this event. They have been instrumental in fuelling passions in a bid to revive the Khalistan movement. An ISI officer was in fact the one who set up the Referendum 2020 social media page and tried to trigger tensions.

As part of the original plan, the terrorists were supposed to carry out a blast outside a cricket stadium. The NIA too had unearthed a huge conspiracy, where Khalistan terrorists were to undertake the killings of several Hindu leaders in a bid to rake up communal tension and disturb law and order.

With regard to the London event, Indian officials have information that an ISI officer, Abbas Rana had visited Canada and motivated Sikhs to join the movement. The ISI has been fuelling the propaganda on behalf of the Khalistan terrorists and hope to make this a global issue.

Apart from Canada, the ISI officer has also visited UK and Italy. The NIA had found that a good amount of funding came from these countries to carry out the conspiracy to kill Hindu leaders in India.

Whipping up of passions:

India would watch the August 12 event closely. At first various reports suggested that Khalistan terrorists would stage terror attacks in India. However over a period of time, it became clear that the idea was whip up passions across the globe. They want to put up such shows abroad and impress the respective governments that their cause is legitimate.

Officials however feel that the Referendum 2020, which has been organised to issue a London Declaration is unlikely to have much backing in Punjab. However it would not be right to sit back and relax, as if the issue refuses to die down, then sooner or later, the implications would be felt back at home.

The worry for the Indian agencies is that some Gurudwaras abroad are being used to spread the propaganda. Several Gurudwaras are under the scanner for such activity. It was also found that some Gurudwaras in Pakistan and been used to carry out an anti-India propaganda. It may be recalled that Indian High Commission to Islamabad Ajay Besaria had been prevented from entering the Gurudwara Punja Sahib twice this year.