Experienced hands in the Punjab police intelligence, who are keeping their fingers crossed, contend that the state may get pushed into militancy again by Khalistani elements with the covert support of Pakistan's ISI if corrective measures are not taken in time which includes separating religion from politics.

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Alarmed at raging protests over recent incidents of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhs, at the behest of alleged foreign hands, the Centre has sought a report from the Punjab government.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal conveying central government's concern over the situation in Punjab, and asked the chief minister to take necessary steps to maintain peace in the state. Rajnath also apprised Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the Punjab situation and briefed him on his conversation with Badal.

According to Punjab Police, the two brothers -­ Jaswinder Singh and Rupinder Singh -- it arrested for involvement in main case of sacrilege of the Sikh holy book at Bargari village in Faridkot were getting instructions and funding from handlers in Australia and Dubai. The phone calls records of the brothers had been traced to people in Australia and Dubai and a special investigation team is probing the case.

The incidents vindicate a report published by the dna on September 29 that said that intelligence agencies have come across a new design of Pakistan's ISI to destabilise India by backing Khalistani elements in which Hafiz Saeed is also playing a crucial role which is about to be played out in Punjab.

To revive militancy and launch terror strikes in Punjab, the ISI, according to Indian agencies, has roped in ultras of three Khalistan terrorist groups -- Jagtar Singh Tara-headed Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), Wadhawa Singh-led Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and Harminder Singh Minto-led Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF). Noted counter-terrorism expert Ajai Sahni agrees that ISI is desperate to prop up Khalistani movement but does not see it succeeding.

"I see no possibility of Khalistani movement taking root in near future as Punjab police has penetrated deep into their network and any attempt by them would be crushed before it can gather momentum," said Sahni. However, Sahni is annoyed at the way Akali government is mixing religion with politics to deflect anger against their governance that has been ridden with corruption and high degree of nepotism.

"In last decade or so Punjab has slipped from number 2 spot in per capita income to the 14th spot. This speaks a lot about the way the governance has been handled. One can also see a design in how farmers' wide spread agitation were given a religious turn. This does not augur well for the state," said Sahni.

Former DGP of Punjab K P S Gill, who is credited for defeating Khalistan insurgency, writes that "the realities of situation in Punjab fail to reconcile with the constructs of those who seek to revive terrorism in the state."

"Indeed, Pakistan and radical elements within the Sikh diaspora have repeatedly miscalculated in the past, mistaking specific grievances as signs of a situation ripe for the resurgence of terrorism. This reflects their sheer ignorance," says Gill.

The super cop, however, warns that the Sikh politics, that has long been tainted by religious manipulation, with gurdwara politics – specifically, the politics of immensely rich Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, has contributed to a growing fundamentalism among many Sikhs, and to an atmosphere of radicalisation and politicisation of the faith. Gill has no qualms in accepting that things are "fairly abysmal" in the state, and there is great dissatisfaction with governance, politics and endemic corruption. The combined impact of social, political and economic mismanagement – and endemic corruption – has been an accelerating collapse, says Gill.