Khalistan movement getting support from ISI-backed Muslim community in UK: Expert

London: An Indian Army veteran has claimed that Khalistanis, the secessionists demanding a separate homeland in the sovereign territory of India, are getting support from Pakistani Muslims in Britain and Canada.

He is also of the opinion that some Gurdwaras in these countries are the facilitators of the so-called movement and they have been pumping huge money and material to keep it alive.

"The major inflow of funds is coming from Canada and the United Kingdom. However, the governments of those respective countries are not giving support. In the United Kingdom, a large Muslim community from Pakistan lives and this is a very vociferous community," said Major General (Retd.) Dhruv C. Katoch

"These people are also in touch with the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan. They are trying to create a sort of movement within the United Kingdom, so basically the foreign funding or the foreign support comes from the two countries," he added.

Pakistan has for years been working on its agenda of subverting peace and harmony in India and it has been working relentlessly to achieve its aims.

On social media, several videos have gone viral where ISI-funded members of the Sikh community were seen shouting pro-Khalistan slogans along with Pakistanis during the ICC World Cup match in the United Kingdom.

Katoch believes the pro-Khalistan propaganda is a long devious design perpetrated by the Pakistani intelligence agencies to create a dent on India's sovereignty.

"Pakistan continues to put its hands where it should not", he said. "They are playing a very dirty game and this destabilizing effort and I think Pakistan needs to be told categorically that they must remember that when Maharaja Ranjit Singh had a Sikh kingdom, the capital was at Lahore and when they try to create a monster called Khalistan, I think it will lead to the break-up of Pakistan, the way it is currently situated".

The Khalistan separatist movement was completely squashed by the Indian security forces in the 90s as hundreds of innocent people lost their lives due to militancy.

Since then, Pakistan has been making desperate attempts to gain a foothold in India. However, it has failed to gather any traction amongst the masses of Punjab.

The foreign support provided in the form of man and material by Islamabad has proven to be of no benefit as all their diabolic plots have been busted by the vigilant Indian forces.