Singh remained on the run till the time of going to print but 78 of his supporters were arrested in a statewide operation that federal intelligence officials said was launched after tip-off that the group may be planning attacks in the national capital and carrying out a radicalisation drive in the state of Punjab.
"Amritpal Singh, a non-resident Indian who worked as a truck driver in Dubai, is an ISI agent who came in touch with Pakistani spy agency while living in the UAE. He was told to motivate naive young Sikhs in name of religion. There was an understanding that the ISI will spend money and by bringing the Sikhs behind him in the name of Khalistan, he would have a say in Punjab," said a central intelligence officer, who asked not to be named.
This person added that Avtar Singh Khanda, a UK-based Sikh radical and the vice-president of Shiromani Akali Dal (Mann), is a close associate of Khalistani terrorist Jagtar Singh Tara and acted as the "main handler of Amritpal Singh and the brains behind his meteoric rise".
ISI, or the inter services intelligence agency, is Pakistan military's main espionage wing.
This person said Saturday's operation was precipitated by inputs of a conspiracy by Amritpal Singh and other Pakistanbased Khalistani leaders, including Lakhbir Singh Rode (head of banned outfit International Sikh Youth Federation), to attack government leaders in New Delhi and spread hatred in Punjab in the name of religion.
This story is from the March 19, 2023 edition of Hindustan Times.
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This story is from the March 19, 2023 edition of Hindustan Times.
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