Extremism Updates

06-Jun-2020

The pro-Khalistani Sikhs in Pakistan converged at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, the birth place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev,. They extended support to the separatist movement for a Sikh state -Khalistan in India and protested to mark the 36th anniversary of Operation Bluestar. According to sources, prominently among those who were present on the occasion were Pakistan's main Sikh face for such occasions Gopal Singh Chawla, former Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) president Bishan Singh and PSGPC general secretary Amir Singh. Sources said that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had organised the function and ensured its media coverage, besides it had also assigned duties to the officials of Evacuee Trust Property Board (EPTB) to facilitate the anti-India demonstration. In a video uploaded on social media, Chawla and Bishan were seen raising slogans against India and in praise of Khalistan. However, PSGPC president Satwant Singh was not seen during anti-India protests at Nankana Sahib. In an attempt to foment the anti-India sentiments, Chawla and Bishan spewed venom against India, and to win over the sympathy of Islamist militant organisations, they raised the issue of Kashmir too.


06-Jun-2020

According to reports, no Sikhs converged at Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib on the call given by US-based pro-Khalistani group, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). Sources said that "We have information that attempts are being made to allure poor Paksitani Sikhs with cash rewards for protesting against India. However, none reached Kartarpur Sahib on Saturday morning". The presence of several Sikh youth and some unknown faces during Saturday's protest only confirmed their belief that these were being paid to stage demonstration and raise slogans against India, they claimed.


05-Jun-2020

The US-based Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) leader, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in a message to Sikhs of Pakistan appealed to them to converge at Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib on June 6 to perform ardas and also raise slogans for Khalistan. He said that Sikh for Justice (SFJ) would be holding a conference on June 6 to update Sikh community regarding their divisive ‘Referendum 2020’. However, the president of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC), Satwant Singh didn’t comment on Pannun’s call to Sikhs of Pakistan. However, sources didn’t rule out the possibility of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) facilitating a video conference between Sikh militants of Pakistan and those abroad. “There is likelihood of forging of new ties especially SFJ exhorting Pakistani Sikhs to hold anti-India protest at Kartarpur and we are of view that Pakistan’s Khalistani leader Gopal Singh Chawla will be playing a key role,” said sources.


04-Jun-2020

The Jammu and Kashmir Youth Social Forum (JKYSF) leader, Angad Singh paid tributes to all Sikh leaders and Sikh Sangat pilgrims who were killed in Indian Army’s Operation Blue Star in Golden temple in June 1984, in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). He said that “We in Kashmir remember this day as black day. Also, this day is a proof of Sikh and Muslim brotherhood right from Kashmir to Punjab and all over the world.”


06-May-2020

The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) in Pakistan is now in action to expel the pro-Khalistan leader Gopal Singh Chawla from the ‘Punjabi Sikh Sangat’. Earlier, he was also expelled from the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC). Notably, the ETPB had constituted ‘Punjabi Sikh Sangat’ to look after the religious activities in the Sikh shrines of Pakistan and Gopal Singh Chawla was appointed as a chairman of this body. According to report, the ETPB has started cornering Gopal Singh Chawla after he illegally occupied a piece of land managed by ETPB. An FIR was registered against Gopal Singh Chawla under sections 447/511 in Nankana Sahib police station on the complaint of revenue officer Asif Chadar. Sources also revealed that Gopal Singh Chawla might resign from the chairmanship of ‘Punjabi Sikh Sangat’ on May 7. It has also come to fore that the ETPB has not even credited Gopal Singh Chawla’s monthly salary worth Rupees 30,000.


06-May-2020

The Pak-based pro-Khalistan leader Gopal Singh Chawla accused that the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) officials are going to remove him from the chairmanship of “Punjabi Sikh Sangat” under a conspiracy.


18-Apr-2020

Domes of the newly renovated Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara was collapsed due to a thunderstorm and high-speed winds in the area of the holy site's location in Punjab in Pakistan. According to reports, the domes were allegedly not even constructed with cement and iron but with plaster-of-paris material. After the embarrassing incident, the Sikh community has expressed disappointment with the way construction was done in Pakistan


13-Apr-2020

Pakistan extended the duration of the closure of the Wagah border and the Kartarpur Corridor along the International Border with India for two weeks amid the Coronavirus pandemic. The Kartarpur Corridor will be sealed till April 24 while the Wagah crossing will be closed from April 16 to April 29.


09-Apr-2020

The Pakistan government asked Afghanistan to hand over the recently arrested Islamic State terrorist, responsible for the deadly terror attack on Sikh Gurudwara in Kabul to Pakistan. According to the sources, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the ambassador of Afghanistan to Pakistan, asking for Aslam Farooqi's custody. Afghan security forces on April 5 had arrested Farooqi involved in the massacre of around 27 Sikhs in a terror attack on a Gurudwara in Kabul on March 25. As per an official statement, Islamabad sought Farooqi's custody for investigation because he is allegedly involved in anti-Pakistan activities in Afghanistan.


07-Apr-2020

Sikh community in Pakistan has shut down Gurdwaras in Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province after the provincial government banned gathering of more than five people for worship in religious places to stop the spread of the coronavirus which has infected nearly 4,000 people and killed 55 in the country.


07-Apr-2020

Pakistan’s Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) deputy secretary shrines, Imran Gondal said that a meeting of the ETPB and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbadhank Committee (PSGPC) unanimously decided that there would be no Baisakhi celebrations at the shrine in Hassanabdal city this year and the scheduled visits of Sikh pilgrims has been cancelled. The Baisakhi celebrations scheduled to begin on April 14 at Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Punjab province, in which 3,000 Sikhs from India and 2,000 from elsewhere were to participate.


06-Apr-2020

Pakistani authorities cancelled the Baisakhi celebrations at Gurudwara Panja Sahib in Punjab province from April 14, in which around 3,000 Sikhs from India were to participate, due to the coronavirus pandemic in the country.


31-Mar-2020

A mob of Islamist radicals attacked the Sikh Gurudwara in Nankana Sahib (in Punjab, Pakistan) to avenge the arrest of a Muslim man who had kidnapped and converted a Sikh girl to Islam. The crowd gathered in front of the main entrance of the Nankana Sahib Gurudwara and pelted stones at the Gurudwara in the evening. The extremists also threatened to eliminate every single Sikh faithful from the city and announced that they have renamed the location with an Islamic name.


30-Mar-2020

Pakistani pro-Khalistan leader Gopal Singh Chawla said that land in Nankana Sahib belonging to Guru Nanak Dev was being grabbed by the rich by paying money and there was collusion by Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) of Pakistan. Chawla in a video said that atrocities were being committed and complaints about the misuse of land, registered in the name Guru Nanak Dev in Pakistan's Punjab province, have fallen on deaf ears of authorities. He said that ETPB of Pakistan has been aiding and shielding rich people who have encroached the land of Gurudwara Nankana Sahib. Chawla alleged that ETPB chairman Aamer Ahmed has been colluding with the land grabbers. "I had made a humble request that in Nankana Sahib there is full loot (of land) and I had given proof to Aamer sahib that a lot of atrocities are taking place. Rich people who can give Rs 2 lakh, Rs 3 lakh, Rs 4 lakh, Rs 5 lakh, they are getting their houses made and the poor who have to build on two marla, three marla, there is no law for them," he said.


23-Mar-2020

The Border Security Force (BSF) recovered 4.27 kg of heroin from an area close to the border outpost Bareke along the India-Pakistan border in Ferozepur district. According to officials, the consignment was stored in four plastic bottles and a China-made pistol was also seized along with the contraband.


14-Mar-2020

The Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC) released its “original version” of Nanakshahi calendar, which was introduced in 2003, at Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib in Pakistan. The PSGPC president Satwant Singh said that, “The original version of the calendar symbolises distinct identity of the Sikhs. We request Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh to ensure unity in the Panth, which is divided over the calendar issue. The calendar implemented in 2003 by the then Jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti should be followed for this purpose.”


13-Mar-2020

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan held a high-level meeting of the National Security Committee and announced series of measures to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, including a ban on Pakistani nationals from travelling via the Kartarpur Corridor. Indian pilgrims will, however, be allowed to use the corridor.


08-Mar-2020

Parliamentarian Preneet Kaur paid obeisance at Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara in Pakistan along with more than hundred women on the occasion of International Women’s Day. Preneet Kaur said that Guru Nanak Sahib gave a great status to women in the society which resulted in their empowerment and high respect.


02-Mar-2020

Pakistan’s Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sahibzada Noor-ul-Haq Qadri stated that the work on Kartarpur corridor project phase II would be started soon. The minister, while chairing a ministerial meeting to contemplate the approval of PC1 of Kartarpur project, said that in the second phase hotel and market would be constructed to meet the requirements of international tourism.


01-Mar-2020

According to Indian intelligence sources, the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) and its parent body Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) recently honoured pro-Khalistan Sikh leader Gopal Singh Chawla in Pakistan. The sources said that the move showed that Chawla was still an integral part of PSGPC and ETPB, as he was still being honoured by the two bodies. Earlier, Chawla, who is the chairman of Punjabi Sikh Sangat in Pakistan, was removed from PSGPC in 2019, after India had exerted pressure on Pakistan over his links with 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed. The move had come as India had refused to sign the agreement on Kartarpur corridor if Chawla continued to be a member of the committee. However, the intelligence source informed that since ISI-controlled ETPB used Chawla for instigating Sikhs and holding anti-India demonstrations in Pakistan, his removal from the two bodies was just a cosmetic change. “But he has always been present during important events at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib. He has also been allotted a room at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib complex, Kartapur Sahib,” said the source.


24-Feb-2020

The Akal Takht acting Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh said that Pakistan is a safe country and maximum Sikhs from India should visit all historic Gurudwaras there. The Jathedar, in a video shared by Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) president Satwant Singh, said “Historic gurudwaras hold big importance for Sikhs. ‘Darshan-didar’ of these gurudwaras has given me immense pleasure and peace of mind. I have no word to recognize the love shown by Pakistan’s sangat and common people towards me. Not only me, locals also share warm vibes with every person coming from India here.”“People of both India and Pakistan don’t need to fear visiting each other’s country. Pakistanis are loved by people in India,” he said.


21-Feb-2020

Akal Takht acting Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, during a religious function (Saka Nankana Sahib) at Nankana Sahib in Pakistan, demanded that the governments of India and Pakistan waive the condition of passport for Indian pilgrims visiting Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan through the Kartarpur Corridor. He said the condition of carrying passport as identity proof is the main reason behind the low turnout of Indian pilgrims at the Kartarpur shrine, the last resting place of Guru Nanak. He also met family members of Jagjit Kaur, who was allegedly converted to Islam forcibly and married to a Muslim man in Nankana Sahib.


19-Feb-2020

Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh left for Pakistan to take part in a religious function - Saka Nankana (Nankana massacre) - at the Nankana Sahib on February 21. He crossed over to Pakistan from Attari-Wagah border. He said that “I am going to Pakistan to observe anniversary function of 100 years old event to liberate Nankana Sahib. There are total 13 members in delegation. Martyrdom anniversary is being commemorated by the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC).”


18-Feb-2020

United Nations (UN) chief Antonio Guterres, during his visit to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, said that the opening of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor is a practical example of Pakistan's desire for peace and inter-faith harmony. He said the opening of the corridor is a good step and it will promote tolerance and interfaith harmony. The UN chief appreciated the facilities being provided to Sikh pilgrims at the complex.


10-Feb-2020

The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will visit Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur next week during a trip to Pakistan, his Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said. Kartarpur will be on the itinerary of Guterres''s visit to Pakistan to participate in an international conference on that country hosting Afghan refugees for 40 years, Haq said. Meanwhile, Rajwant Singh, the co-founder of the National Sikh Campaign, said that "The Secretary-General''s visit to the shrine will amplify Guru Nanak Dev''s message for peaceful coexistence of all religions and signal to the entire world that Kartarpur is internationally a very sacred place."


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26-May-2020

The World Sikh Parliament (WSP) released two videos, one in English and one in Punjabi, with advice for Gurudwaras around the world on considerations they should take when reopening their doors to the Sangat after the lockdown.


25-May-2020

A Pakistani man, who attacked the Guru Arjan Dev shrine in Derby in Derbyshire, UK was arrested on May 25 morning. The Gurudwara described the vandalization of the shrine as a hate crime. The vandal left a hand-written note in broken English on a piece of paper in the Gurudwara, making an appeal to Sikhs to ‘help people in Kashmir’. Interestingly, besides scribbling ‘Pak Allah Pak’' in a corner of the paper, he had also provided a phone number. According to sources, Police later identified the man and arrested him.


06-May-2020

Despite a long-running campaign by some sections of the Sikh community, the House of Commons approved the draft census order for England and Wales on May 6 night without an ethnic Sikh tick-box in the ethnicity section. In response to the question asking their ethnic group, the British Sikh will have the option of ticking Asian/Asian British and then whether Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese, or any other Asian background (stating which), or they can write in Sikh.


26-Apr-2020

The Sikh Federation UK (SFUK) threatened the Scottish government with legal action claiming discrimination for failing to include a tick-box response option for Sikhs in the ethnicity section of its proposed census. The federation claims that this contravenes the European Convention of Human Rights, EU law and the Equality Act 2010.


13-Apr-2020

Vaisakhi will not be marked with the customary large gatherings and melas in different parts of the UK this year as the community is urged to stay safe amid the coronavirus pandemic, with all events cancelled. Meanwhile, Prince Charles issued a video message to convey his “lakh lakh vaidhaiyan” to the Sikh community in the UK and across the Commonwealth on the occasion of Vaisakhi and praised the “selfless service” of the British-Sikh community in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic.


08-Mar-2020

British Pakistani and Kashmiri community held a protest outside Indian High Commission in London on March 8 afternoon. The protest was organized by Global Pakistan and Kashmir Supreme Council (UK) and the participants also raised slogans for freedom of Kashmir and Khalistan from Indian subjugation.


23-Feb-2020

UK based KLF militants had assembled to discuss the future course of the group after the death of Happy PHD. A total of eight persons, Gursharanvir Singh, Amritveer Singh, Avtar Singh Khandaand Amanveer Singh, attended the meeting. Gursharanvir vouched for himself citing his close ties with former KLF ‘chiefs’ -Happy PhD, Mintooo. While asking to avoid Italian and swiss contender he called for the continuation of violent activities.


17-Feb-2020

Pakistani human rights activists and members of the Indian community continued their protest for the second day on February 17 outside the Pakistan High Commission in London seeking justice for the minor Hindu girl, Mehak Kumari who was forcibly converted to Islam and married to a Muslim man in Sindh. She was abducted by a man, Ali Raza, from the Jacobabad district of Sindh province on January 15. The girl said she was forced to accept Islam, causing a widespread furor among the Islamic fanatics.


16-Feb-2020

The Indian diaspora in the UK in collaboration with Lalkar Social Forum and other Pakistani human rights activists staged a protest outside the Pakistan High Commission in London seeking justice for the minor Hindu girl, Mehak Kumari who was abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and married to a Muslim man in Sindh.


26-Jan-2020

The Scotland Yard provided strict security around the Indian high commission building in London and prevented recurrence of violence as protesters raised anti-India slogans and separatist demands related to Khalistan and Kashmir. According to report, only less than 1,000 people attended the much-hyped anti-India protest. After the diplomatic pressure from India, British authorities took adequate measures, including mounted police and cameras to record and identify protesters.


24-Jan-2020

Around 15,000 British Kashmiris plan to attend the protest outside the Indian high commission building in London on January 26 as India celebrates Republic Day. The protest, which starts at 1 pm was called by the groups like Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) and the World Sikh Parliament. Pro-Khalistan Sikhs, British Pakistanis and Britons who originate from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) are expected to take part in the protest..


23-Jan-2020

According to reports, protesters have been mobilizing people in large numbers to join the agitation outside the Indian embassy in London and burn copies of the Indian Constitution on January 26. Some pro-Khalistan fringe groups are also joining hands with Pakistani groups in the protest. Messages are widely circulated using various social media platforms inviting ‘like-minded’ people to join and burn the Indian Constitution, report said.


22-Jan-2020

The High Commissioner of India in London Ruchi Ghanshyam, in a call with the Home Secretary of UK Priti Patel, expressed concerns over the planned protest outside the High Commission of India (HCI) in which Indian Constitution is supposed to be burnt on the day India celebrates its Republic Day on January 26. Indian diaspora in UK too requested to various UK authorities to ban the protest.


20-Jan-2020

The World Sikh Parliament (WSP) announced that they will support the anti-India protest being organised by the Tehreek-e-Kashmir (TeK) UK chapter on the occasion of India’s Republic Day on January 26, outside the Indian High Commission in London. The WSP spokesperson, Ranjeet Singh declared that “We are with the people of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K) who have been incarcerated by the government of India since August 5, 2019. In this situation we will join the TeK UK’s anti-India protest in front of the IHC in London.” Earlier, TeK announced the protest outside Indian High Commission in London and to observe the Republic Day as ‘Black Day’ across the world.


19-Jan-2020

A UK based NGO, the Sikh Federation UK (SFUK), is joining forces with around 200 Sikh representatives from more than 20 countries to lobby the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for a “Rwanda-style” international tribunal to investigate crimes during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The chairman of SFUK, Bhai Amrik Singh said that ““Our experiences from the last 35 years and this latest report [Justice SN Dhingra Committee Report] shows the police, politicians, and judiciary in India are corrupt to the core and the wheels of justice hardly turn. It is therefore impossible to secure justice within the Indian system. We are confident in securing the support of the majority of the five members of the UN Security Council. It is the entire Indian machinery that must be put on trial in an international arena.”


17-Jan-2020

According to sources, Indian diplomats and British Indians fear violence and damage to the Indian high commission building in London when up to 5,000 protesters are expected to protest outside it on Republic Day on January 26. The protest named as “Rise for Kashmir” will take place outside the Indian high commission on January 26 from 1 pm to 3 pm. According to the president of Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK, Fahim Kayani, Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) and the World Sikh Parliament are the organizers of the protest. However, the British Indians has sent emails to the Metropolitan police and London mayor Sadiq Khan expressing concerns about the security of the mission building and asking for the protest to be moved.


03-Sep-2019

Two persons were arrested on September 4 after Pakistani diaspora along with Khalistanis launched a massive protest outside the Indian High Commission in London on September 3 and broke a window pane, drawing widespread condemnation. UK's metropolitan police in a statement said that “there were two arrests for criminal damage at yesterday’s event outside the Indian High Commission”.


20-Aug-2019

Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed to Boris Johnson, his counterpart in the United Kingdom, about New Delhi's displeasure over recent “vandalism and violence” by a large number of Pakistani protesters in front of the Indian High Commission in London.


15-Aug-2019

Violent protest took place outside Indian High Commission in London when protesters carrying ‘Khalistani’ and Kashmiri flags tried to push across the Police line and threw objects targeting Indian Diaspora. The Indian Diaspora was celebrating the Independence Day on August 15. The violent protesters had arrived in London from Birmingham and Nottingham.


15-Aug-2019

According to reports, amid escalating tension between New Delhi and Islamabad British Sikh Association chairman Rami Ranger stated that there will be no investment in Pakistan by the Punjabi diaspora in UK “until relationships between New Delhi (India) and Islamabad (Pakistan) becomes cordial. The relations between the two countries have hit a low with Pakistan downgrading its ties with India after latter scrapped Jammu and Kashmir’s special status earlier this month. In January this year, British Sikh Association had signed a memorandum with Pakistani multinational conglomerate Hashoo Group for development of infrastructure on the Kartarpur Corridor. Ranger had signed the MoU on behalf of British Sikh Association in United Kingdom.


09-Jul-2019

A group of Sikh protesters sporting with "Punjab Referendum 2020" T-shirts and chanting pro-Khalistan slogans were evicted from the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester in United Kingdom (UK) during the World Cup Cricket semi-final match between India and New Zealand. Greater Manchester Police arrested the two of them who were causing disruption and later released.


03-Jul-2019

The UK counter-terrorism Police arrested two British Sikhs in connection with ongoing investigations into ‘allegations of extremist activity in India and fraud offences’ in Birmingham. The arrested individuals were identified as 38-year-old Deepa Singh, who runs the group Sikh Youth UK (SYUK), and a 49-year-old female relative of his.However, the two arrestees were released on bail and will either be charged within 28 days or released pending further investigations.


10-Oct-2018

The British High Commissioner to India Dominic Asquith said the British Security agencies are investigating the pro-Khalistan activities in regards to the pro-Khalistan campaign held in August 2018 at London’s Trafalgar Square. As the part of investigation conducted by the West Midlands Counterterrorism Unit (WMCU), the British Security agencies searched several properties on September 18 in connection with the allegations of the terrorist offences in the UK, including the activities in relation to Khalistan campaign in India, said Asquith. However, the investigation conducted by WMCU is not directed by either the UK government or the Indian government.


17-Apr-2018

A day ahead of Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s visit to the UK, a video surfaced online featuring ‘most-wanted’ Khalistani terrorist Paramjit Singh Pamma leading a campaign and preaching hate speech against the Indian PM Narendra Modi and Mahatma Gandhi in London, UK, on April 17. In the video, Pamma was surrounded by his associates holding anti-India protest, without any intervention from the UK’s law enforcement agencies.


16-Feb-2014

The UK in its consolidated list of organizations involved in terror activities or terror financing brought out on February 14, 2014, has named ISYF, HM, Babbar Khalsa and Khalistan Zindabad as organizations that require total financial sanctions.


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