In a chilling reminder of the persistent threats to India’s internal security, the Punjab Police have uncovered a disturbing link between Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Khalistani terror outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), and India’s notorious gangster network led by Lawrence Bishnoi. The revelation comes just hours after a grenade attack on the Jalandhar residence of senior political leader Manoranjan Kalia, which was intended to ignite communal discord in the sensitive border state.
Punjab ADGP Arpit Shukla, addressing the press, described the attack as part of a broader ISI-backed conspiracy. “Preliminary investigations indicate a sinister plot by Pakistan’s ISI to destabilize Punjab. This attack was coordinated by gangster Zeeshan Akhtar and ISI-linked Shahzad Bhatti from Pakistan,” he said. Both Akhtar and Bhatti are wanted in the high-profile murder of Mumbai real estate developer Baba Siddiqui and are known to have deep ties with the Bishnoi gang and cross-border terror operatives.
While immediate details remain classified, Shukla confirmed that the attackers had possible connections to Harwinder Singh alias Rinda — a BKI mastermind currently operating from Pakistan — and gangster Happy Passia. The use of such hybrid networks underscores the evolving strategy of Pakistan’s intelligence apparatus, which is now merging organized crime with ideological militancy to wage proxy war against India.
In a swift and coordinated effort, Punjab Police arrested two suspects within 12 hours of the attack and impounded an e-rickshaw used in the incident. Raids are ongoing across multiple locations, and central intelligence agencies are reportedly involved in the wider investigation.
This latest development casts a harsh light on the Khalistan movement’s current trajectory. Far from being a grassroots Sikh cause, it now appears to be a convenient tool exploited by Pakistan’s ISI to sow chaos and manipulate criminal elements within India. The once-ideological front has seemingly become a pawn in a high-stakes game of geopolitics — serving the selfish agendas of foreign handlers rather than any legitimate community aspirations.
Lawrence Bishnoi, the gangster at the center of this nexus, remains in Gujarat jail under charges filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a separate terror case. His network continues to operate across state lines, increasingly blurring the lines between organized crime and ideological extremism.
The Punjab Government has faced scrutiny over the incident, particularly after ADGP (Intelligence) RK Jaiswal was abruptly shifted from his post without explanation following the attack. However, officials have denied any intelligence lapse.
This unholy alliance between ISI operatives, Khalistani extremists, and Indian gangsters paints a dangerous picture for national security. It highlights how the Khalistan narrative has been hijacked — not by Sikh voices, but by elements keen to destabilize India through fear, division, and bloodshed.
What was once a movement rooted in cultural and political assertion has now devolved into a weaponized tool of disruption, steered from across the border. As investigations deepen, one message is becoming increasingly clear: Khalistan is no longer about Sikh identity — it has become a nexus of terror, crime, and foreign manipulation.
