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Journalism of Courage
Securing peace in Punjab is one of the country8217;s most important political gains. For a decade and a half now, the state has witnessed the return of sustainable normalcy and nothing perhaps underlined this more than the resumption of the political process. It is worrying therefore 8212; given this period of stability and growth 8212; to witness the re-emergence of one of Punjab8217;s most notorious extremist outfits, the Babbar Khalsa International BKI. This should worry not just the state and Union government but the country as a whole.
The Express investigation into the BKI8217;s activities suggests that it has been receiving arms and training from Pakistan. Evidence of the Pakistan nexus can be seen in the type of weapons recovered from BKI hide-outs by the Punjab police; the routes across the Indo-Pak border taken by operatives; the patterns of recruitment and training; the efforts to tap into the Sikh diaspora; and the kind of money that is being made available to foster a new brand of terror. This neo-terrorism may resemble the old militancy that plagued Punjab in the eighties, but isn8217;t quite the same. For one, groups like the BKI seem to have updated their strategies and global connectivity. They have also shown themselves capable of deploying suicide bombers 8212; increasingly a standard tactic in terror theatres across the world.
