By IRNA
New Delhi : India’s Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has written to the President of Shiromani Gurudwara Parbadak Committee (SGPC), warning him that some Sikh separatist leaders in Canada, the UK, Germany and Pakistan may be trying to revive militancy in Punjab.
According to All India Radio report, the Prime Minister’s letter was in response to a request by the SGPC which wants the government to remove 200 Sikh leaders from a black-list that prevents them from entering India.
Intelligence agencies believe some of NRIs support the Khalistan movement. They say the blast at Ludhiana’s Shingar cinema hall last year gave a warning that secessionist forces are getting stronger in Punjab.
Earlier Director General Police of Punjab Sarabjit Singh said that total lifting of the ban is not called for but a selective review of cases can be done.
The Sikh militancy cost the state exchequer many billions of rupees and loss of thousands of men in the security forces and others during 1978 to 1992.
Numerous leaders including the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi succumbed to violence.