Pakistan-backed Khalistani separatist groups, banned by the Indian Government, are quietly gaining ground in the US, a top American think tank has warned, ruing that Washington has so far remained indifferent to the appeals made by New Delhi to curb their destabilising anti-India activities.
The US-based Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) is a pro-Khalistan group. In 2019, the Indian government banned it for its alleged anti-national activities.
The SFJ had pushed for Sikh Referendum 2020 as part of its separatist agenda. It openly espouses the cause of Khalistan and in that process challenges the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India. The outlawed group’s primary objective is to establish an “independent and sovereign country” in Punjab.
In its ‘Pakistan’s Destabilization Playbook: Khalistani Activism in the US’ report published on Tuesday, the Hudson Institute examines the conduct of “Khalistan and Kashmir separatist groups within the United States” to investigate their support by Pakistan.
The report looks at these groups’ ties to militant and terrorist outfits in India, and the possible detrimental effects of their activities on US foreign policy in South Asia.
The report demonstrates that “like Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist groups, the Khalistan groups can emerge under new names.”
“Unfortunately, the United States government has shown no interest in violence committed by Khalistan activists, even though the Khalistan campaign’s most ardent supporters are located in western countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.
