India’s Home Ministry has conveyed to a parliamentary panel that Sikh youths are being trained at Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) facilities in Pakistan to carry out terror activities in India, and members of the community who are settled in Canada and other places are also being instigated against the country with false and malicious propaganda.
According to The Hindu, top officials from the Home Ministry, told the parliamentary panel that radicalization of youths by terrorist groups through the misuse of internet and social media has emerged as a big challenge.
The Times of India reported that "the problem is further accentuated by the fact that the terror groups have started using secure social media platforms and proxy servers etc. to avoid detection by intelligence and law enforcement agencies.”
The media outlet also stated that activities of radicalized people returning from conflict areas and the threat of lone wolf attacks were also a challenge.
The Hindu stated that according to the committee’s report, the “commanders” of terror groups based in Pakistan are under pressure from ISI to further the Pakistani spy agency’s terror plans not only in Punjab but also in other parts of the country.
“Sikh youth are being trained at ISI facilities in Pakistan. Interdictions and interrogations have revealed use of jailed cadres, unemployed youth, criminals and smugglers by Pakistan-based Sikh terror groups for facilitating terror attacks,” the report said.
The Hindu also reported that Sikh youths based or settled in Europe, the US and Canada are also being misguided and instigated against India with false and malicious propaganda, but the situation is being watched closely by the Central and State agencies and they are taking lawful action as and when required.
The Times of India reported the ministry told the panel that India continues to remain the prime focus of Pakistan-based terrorist outfits, particularly the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) and a faction of Indian Mujahideen groups like SIMI and Al-Unmah.