Terror attacks rise: Is the Punjab dispensation doing enough after activation of ISI’s K2 Desk

Since the activation of the K2 Desk by the ISI, the number of terror incidents in Punjab are on the rise. They continue to take place despite specific Intelligence.

New Delhi, Dec 12: The attack on the Sarhali Kalan police station in Punjab's Tarn Taran was the fifth in a series of attacks in the past 13 months. The targets have been Police and Army establishments and these are clear acts of terror that have been carried out by the pro-Khalistan terrorists. In Punjab the scenario has been slightly different when it comes to law and order. There is a nexus between the terrorists and gangsters which is carrying out such attacks.

While the Central agencies have managed to keep these elements at bay, the problem, that has been noticed emanates from abroad. While there has been some amount of improvement in the understanding of this problem by some countries, others continue to drag their feet on the issue.

Two Extraditions:

In the last two weeks two top Khalistani terrorists were arrested upon their arrival in India. The NIA in coordination with the Interpol managed to extradite Bikramjit Singh alias Bikkar Panjwar from Australia. He was an absconding accused and wanted in the Tarn Taran bomb blast case.

The NIA in a note said investigations had revealed that the accused Bikramjit Singh not only instigated the co-accused and others to commit terrorist acts but also conducted training for fabricating Improvised Explosive Devices and using them. During various processions/ agitations, he carried bombs and instigated other participants to attack government agencies to strike terror in the population at large. He is the key conspirator in the conspiracy to target Dera Muradpura.

The second one to be brought back was Harper Singh alias Happy Malaysia. He was arrested at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi after he arrived from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. The self-styled chief of the ISYF is a close associate of the Pakistan based Lakhbir Singh Rode. He is also a key conspirator in the Ludhiana court complex blast. He was also an accused in various cases relating to arms, explosives and narcotics smuggling, the NIA said in a press note.

Masterminded Abroad:

Punjab has been witnessing a series of strikes on the police and Army establishments. The attack at Tarn Taran last week was in fact the fifth in 13 months. Five of these attacks were masterminded by gangsters, investigations have shown. The NIA is currently investigating a series of cases involving the gangster-terror nexus. The NIA has learnt that both compliment each other in trying to spread havoc in Punjab with the sole aim of reviving the Khalistan movement.

A source tells OneIndia that the ISI driven Khalistan terror groups use local gangsters to carry out attacks, smuggle arms and explosives. This is solely with the intention of having the deniability factor and put the blame on the local gangs. The gangsters on the other hand do it for the money. In most of these cases, it has been found that the attack has been controlled from foreign nations such as Canada, UK etc.

The NIA had in October raided 50 locations in connection with the gangster-terror nexus case. During the raids the NIA got to learn about the international nexus of these gangsters.

The K2 Desk:

A 2019 Intelligence Bureau report had said that the ISI will be activating its K2 Desk with the sole intention of carrying out attacks in Punjab and Kashmir. The K2 Desk driven by the ISI is manned by operatives of the Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Khalistan Zindabad Force.

It is thanks to the activation of this desk in Pakistan in the year 2020 that the number of drone incidents have gone up. They want to bring in arms and ammunition through these drones and then move them to Kashmir, the IB had said. Not just Kashmir, but the K2 Desk is also aimed at reviving the Khalistan movement in Punjab, the source cited above said.

Officials say that the attacks in Punjab are taking place despite specific Intelligence warnings. The dispensation must be more sensitive to the issue and not take it lightly in Punjab as efforts are being every single minute to take the state back to what it used to be in the 1980s.