KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR

The Pakistani government has permitted the publication of religious books for students from Sikh and Christian minority communities under the supervision of the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (PMTA). Anjum James Paul, the chairman of (PMTA), said that it will help minority students to learn about their religion in schools. However, minority groups, including Hindus, Buddhists, Parsees, Kalash, and Baha’is, are still not permitted to print their religious textbooks in Pakistan.

According to a Pakistan government notification released on March 1, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appointed Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora as the Ambassador-at-Large for Kartarpur Corridor as part of efforts to draw Sikh pilgrims from all over the world.

The Pakistani media on February 24 highlighted how supporters of pro-Khalistan Sikh leader Amritpal Singh 'staged a large demonstration in Amritsar on February 23 and put the Indian Punjab Police on the back foot'. Also, it mentioned, "the demand for Khalistan by Sikhs in Indian Punjab is gathering pace."

According to reports in Pakistan, the gold-plated kalash that used to rest atop the dome of the Palki Sahib (palanquin) installed at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartapur Sahib, in Pakistan, has gone missing, leading to suspicion that it had been stolen from the Sikh shrine.

Khalistan supporters on February 20 gathered outside the consulate in Vancouver, Canada, and raised Khalistan flags, demanding the release of Sikhs imprisoned in India.

Canadian ministers criticized the vandalism of Shri Ram Mandir in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) of Mississauga that happened on February 14. This was the fourth such incident in eight months duration where pro-Khalistan graffiti was spray-painted the walls of the temple. Meanwhile, Canada’s defence minister Anita Anand on February 15 tweeted on this incident that, “Freedom of religion is a fundamental tenet of our democracy.” Earlier in the day, foreign minister Melanie Joly had also condemned the episode.

The Consulate General of India at Toronto condemned the defacing of Ram Mandir (Temple) in Mississauga, Canada and requested Canadian authorities to investigate the incident and take prompt action on perpetrators. Earlier, the Ram Mandir in Mississauga was vandalised and defaced with anti-India graffiti by unknown persons. Also, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a banned terrorist organisation with US bases, has taken responsibility for the attack.

According to reports, three of the four-member Dhadhi Jatha (Ballad singers) have disappeared in Canada. They were in Canada on a six-month sponsored tour to perform Baisakhi performances at Gurudwaras. The group's leader and a well-known vocalist, Jaswinder Singh Shant stated that they might use fraudulent means to apply for asylum in Canada. Notably, photographs of the missing persons with Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) President and MP Siranjit Singh Mann have surfaced on social media.

Khalistani supporters on February 18 raised anti-India and pro-Khalistani slogans outside the Indian High Commission in London in United Kingdom (UK). According to reports, Khalistani supporters not just raised Pro-Khalistani slogans but also chanted anti-India slogans outside the Indian High Commission.

During the last week, the British government highlighted that a small group of pro-Khalistan activists is spreading a false story that Britain is colluding with India to oppress Sikhs. In its counter-terrorism review, stated that though the existing threat to the United Kingdom (UK) is low from the pro-Khalistan movement, it could intensify in the future. Warning about “pro-Khalistan extremism emerging from the UK’s Sikh communities”. Sources also said that a similar story is evolving in Australia where Khalistan groups have been trying to muster support lately.

Radicalisation of the Muslims in United Kingdom (UK) on the issue of Kashmir and “potentially toxic” pro-Khalistan extremism are major concerns for the country, said a review into the UK government's counter-terrorism early intervention Prevent strategy published recently. The review warned that rhetoric from Pakistan is impacting UK Muslim communities when it comes to "inflaming anti-India sentiment, particularly around the subject of Kashmir". It also warned against a false narrative being disseminated by a tiny number of pro-Khalistan groups operating in the UK. The review, on the issue of pro-Khalistan extremism, said, "Prevent should also be mindful of pro-Khalistan extremism emerging from the UK's Sikh communities. A false narrative is disseminated by the tiny number of pro-Khalistan groups operating in the UK that the government is colluding with its counterpart in India to persecute Sikhs." "Such groups' narratives glorify violence carried out by the pro-Khalistan movement in India. While the current threat is low, praise for violence overseas and a simultaneous belief in a state-led campaign of repression domestically is a potentially toxic combination for the future," said the report.

The Indian High Commission in London stated that United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attended the meeting between British National Security Advisor (NSA) Tim Barrow and Indian NSA Ajit Doval in London. According to sources, Doval did some “plain speaking on Sikh radicalism, pro-Pakistan groups and BBC documentary” with UK officials. Radical Sikh actions against India and assaults on the Indian diplomatic mission have been worse recently, and the local government hasn’t responded appropriately, Doval told them. Similarly, anti-India Pakistanis are active in the UK, according to the sources, who also noted that this group frequently influences British MPs’ views on India.

The United States Department of State Spokesperson, Ned Price on March 8 condemned terrorism in all of its forms including those who resort to violence to achieve their ends, whether they are political or otherwise. When asked about Khalistani activists that are active in North America, he said, "So we condemn terrorism in all of its forms. We condemn terrorism; we condemn violent extremism. We condemn all of those who resort to violence to achieve their ends, whether they are political or otherwise. There is never a justification to resort to violence. Regardless of the motivation, regardless of the perpetrator, we take the threat of terrorism around the world, whether that's to regional peace and security or to our own security."

According to media reports, A 60-year-old Indian-origin Sikh man, identified as Rajvir Raj Singh Gill, a former Bakersfield City Council candidate, was arrested on March 4 in the United States (US) for allegedly attempting to hire people to shoot multiple people and burn down the property of Gurdwara Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Ji Khalsa Darbart in California, US.

North American Punjabi Association on February 15 raised “serious concern” over growing incidents of gang wars and weapons smuggling in the state. An executive director of the United States (US)-based organisation, Satnam Singh Chahal mentioned, “it is very unfortunate that only a few gangsters out of several arrested between 1996 and 2023 were imprisoned”.

The United States’ (US) Republican politician, Robert Bob Lancia said that the US need to be more vigilant for its borders given the fact that Pakistan has a history of supporting terror activities. He said that the law enforcement agencies of the US state of Rhode Island need to be vigilant to counter any threat. "For many decades, Pakistan has been the epicenter of terrorism, harboring the most UN designated terrorists in the world within its borders. Besides supporting Jihadi terror groups, Pakistan also leaked sensitive nuclear secrets at least to Iran and North Korea, the other two sponsors of terrorism and oppression in the world. Pakistan has also been actively involved in sponsoring terrorist activities in India - not just Jihadi terrorism but also Khalistani terrorist activities, which are mostly based outside of India," said Lancia, who is a former US Navy chaplain. He claimed that Pakistan-supported Khalistan militants may be active in the US state of Connecticut. "In fact, it looks like Pakistan-supported Khalistan militants even may be active in Connecticut! A Khalistani terrorist group was responsible for the bombing of Air India Flight 182 on June 23, 1985. It was a Boeing 747 jumbo jet carrying 329 passengers & crew members, with citizens from Canada, England, and India aboard. They were all killed in the worst terrorist attack in Canada's history," he said. Lancia further said that knowing the background of Khalistan, and Rhode Island's porous border with Connecticut, 'it’s extremely important that law enforcement agencies remain vigilant'.

According to reports, the Pakistani media is openly campaigning for the second phase of ‘Khalistan Referendum’ which is going to take place at the Brisbane Exhibition and Convention Centre in Australia on March 19. The pro-Khalistan separatist group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) is purportedly organizing the voting. An article in Radio Pakistan published on March 18, claimed that more than 50,000 Sikhs cast their ballots in favor of the Khalistan Referendum during the initial round of voting in Melbourne at the end of January 2023.

Khalistan supporters organized an unauthorized gathering that obstructed the entrance to the Honorary Consulate of India situated in Brisbane, Australia, resulting in its closure on March 15. According to reports, slogans were raised against Hindus calling them supremacists with ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ during the gathering of Khalistani supporters. According to Sarah L Gates, the Director of Hindu Human Rights, the Indian consulate had to shut down for safety reasons after Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) targeted them with their propaganda. This is not the first instance of Khalistan supporters intimidating the Indian consulate in Brisbane, Australia; on February 21, they raised the Khalistan flag at the consulate's office.

According to reports, Khalistan supporters on March 10 raised pro-Khalistan flags at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Rome Street Parkland, Brisbane, Australia. The report said that few people were seen chanting "Khalistan Zindabaad" slogans with Khalistan flags at Rome Parkland in Brisbane.

According to media reports, the President of Swaminarayan Temple located on Marshall Road in Perth, Australia received a threatening call on March 7. The President of Temple, Vinodbhai Hirani said that he received a call from a man who identified himself as "Gurupdesh Singh," from an American number, who warned, "the Hindus community to support Khalistan or face dire consequences". Notably, the Khalistan supporters recently vandalized the Laxmi Narayan Temple in Brisbane on March 4, which was the fifth attempt against Hindu temples in the last two months in Australia.