NEW DELHI: India is confident that the United Kingdom will go all out to tackle the Khalistan movement, which is rampant in the country. The sanctioning of British businessman Gurpreet Singh Rehal and the Babbar Akali Lehar (BAL) are signs of things to come in the UK, officials say.
The crackdown also comes in the wake of a recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart, Kier Starmer, which was held in October. Prime Minister Modi had flagged the Khalistan issue and said that violent extremism should not be allowed to abuse the freedoms provided by societies.
Intelligence agencies that are working alongside their UK counterparts say that the action is significant since it aims at tightening the financial network of the Khalistan movement that is stemming out of the country. Interestingly, the UK, for the first time, used the Domestic Counter-Terrorism Regime against Singh.
Officials explained that many businessmen are funding the Khalistan movement. Under the garb of their businesses, these persons are facilitating the purchase of arms and also helping run online propaganda networks.