Centre bans Pak backed 'Sikhs for Justice'

The Union Government has banned the controversial Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) as an unlawful association.

Border state Punjab has claimed SJF’s role in unleashing a wave of terror in Punjab in recent years demanding that the organisation be treated as a terrorist outfit.

Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh said the Centre’s decision to ban SFJ is the first step towards protecting the nation from what he said was the ‘anti-India secessionist designs of the ISI-backed organisation’.

“The Centre has shown its much-needed intent to crack down on the organisation which was overtly being backed by Pakistan’s ISI in its conspiratorial campaign over ‘Sikh Referendum 2020’ launched in 2014”, Capt said.

Recently, a strong nexus between SFJ and Kashmiri separatists had come to light suggesting a wider net that goes beyond Punjab, with serious repercussions for national security, Capt said. According to credible inputs, the recent years had seen blatant attempts by SFJ to radicalize, fund and motivate some poor and gullible youth of Punjab into committing acts of arson and violence.

Capt pointed towards the June 30 incident when UK-based SFJ activists during the India-England World Cup cricket match at Edgbaston (Birmingham) were seen wearing T-shirts of Referendum 2020 and waving the Khalistani Flag during the match.

In a highly secessionist act, the government claims, SFJ shared a poster on social media just last week urging pro-Khalistani Sikhs to boo the Indian team during the semi-Final match against New-Zealand on Wednesday. The Punjab police over the last 3 years had registered several criminal cases against such youth as well as SFJ leaders and operatives based in various countries. These operatives are working under the command of SFJ promoters operating from USA, Canada, UK, Malaysia, etc.