What bonds the Khalistanis and the Pakistanis

New Delhi, Jan 20: The bonhomie between Pakistan's ISI, its terror groups and the Khalistanis is an open secret. For years after India drove the Khalistanis out, Pakistan has been nurturing these elements and are now looking to re-launch them in India.

The ISI has for long been trying to convince the similarities in ideology and wants its terrorists and the Khalistanis to fight along side each other. As an Intelligence Bureau explains to OneIndia, the ISI wants its terror groups to fight in Jammu and Kashmir and the Pakistanis in Punjab and Delhi.

The Khalistanis based in Pakistan and the Lashkar-e-Tayiba have made public speeches on several occasions about the similarities between them. While the Sikhs in India denounce this comparison, in some quarters it has worked out very well for the ISI.

During the public speeches in Pakistan both elements speak about the historic links between the Sikhs and Muslims. They say that the time has come to be together and fight against India. When the Khalistani terrorists fled, they were received by the ISI and were provided with all facilities.

The ISI even went on to create the Sikh-Muslim Ithehad Federation to plan terror attacks against India.

This organisation recruited cadres and also trained them. This outfit even attempted major recruitment drives in rural Punjab. These activities peaked in the early 2000s and the likes of Ranjit Singh Neeta were also imparted training by the ISI. Neeta on the other hand trained Pakistani youth in a bid to make them battle ready in Kashmir.

Further the ISI also created the Pakistan Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, which was headed by Lieutenant General Javed of the ISI. The role of the committee was to invite Sikh youth from Punjab and then radicalise them to join their ranks. Through this committee, the ISI was able to rope in a little over 150 youth.

The ISI also created another outfit called as the World Muslim Sikh Federation, which had members of the Dal Khalsa, Babbar Khalsa International and the Lashkar-e-Tayiba. This forum was however meant to be political in nature and its job was to spread the ideology. Following this the ISI formed the International Sikh Muslim Friendship Organisation and set up its offices in Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom.