News in Italy is often barely reported by the mainstream press. At a superficial glance, recent events might seem of little consequence: the walls of the Indian Embassy in Rome “decorated” with writings praising Khalistan, two huge street fights between Sikhs in small towns in northern Italy, bombs placed in front of the house of a prominent Sikh community leader in Novellara, and the killing, also in Novellara, of the chief of the local Sikh community.
All these incidents have been labeled as “settling of scores” between different factions of the same community, investigated as ordinary riots and murders. But the truth is different. These events represent the tip of a deeply submerged iceberg, rooted in Italy for years, with close ties to jihadi terrorism funded and run by Pakistan.
In 2005, Sant Ramanandas Dass, a Sikh guru, was killed in Vienna while addressing a crowd of worshippers. His murder was claimed in a letter sent to London radio station Akash and a couple of other Sikh stations in India by Ranjit Singh Neeta—a name unknown to most but familiar to the Indian government, intelligence, and police. Neeta, one of the twenty “most wanted” criminals sought by Indian police, leads the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF), a group on the U.S. terrorist list for years.
The KZF, primarily composed of Sikhs from India’s Jammu region, has been responsible for several serious attacks in India and aims to form a sovereign Khalistan. Indian police believe Neeta is in Lahore as a guest of Pakistan’s ISI, which also harbors Wadhawa Singh Babbar, the leader of Babbar Khalsa—a group with a long list of attacks and murders, classified as a terrorist organization by the European Union since 2005.
Reports at the time of the Vienna killing revealed that the assassin had stopped in Italy before traveling to Austria. The Babbar Khalsa is believed to have a significant presence throughout Europe, including Italy, where it often uses Sikh New Year celebrations to recruit manpower. In Lahore, Sikh terrorist groups are said to have forged alliances with jihadi groups active in Kashmir and beyond, according to intelligence sources.
The Khalistan Movement, while not an outright terrorist organization, frequently overlaps with terrorism and often crosses into it. This movement has found fertile ground in Italy in recent years, becoming increasingly active with the support of Pakistani services. For years, members of the Sikh community have joined Pakistanis in demonstrations to “liberate” Kashmir from India. Interestingly, none of these demonstrators are Kashmiri or even Indian; they are almost all Pakistani and Punjabi. Nevertheless, Sikh community representatives participate in these protests, carrying placards proclaiming “Khalistan Kalsa.” These demonstrations were often blessed by the presence of Lord Nazir Ahmed, who, before being stripped of his title over a sordid sex abuse scandal, openly supported Khalistan and launched the “Kashmir2Khalistan” campaign.
This campaign is also backed by “Sikhs for Justice” (SFJ), an organization banned in India but active elsewhere. SFJ promotes a petition demanding Punjab’s independence from India, with no mention of independence for Pakistani Punjab. Italy, home to Europe’s second-largest Sikh community after the UK, has become a hub for this group. Asylum seekers claiming persecution in India due to their involvement in the Khalistan Movement have arrived by ship, often equipped with pre-prepared petitions from local lawyers. Many of these individuals contribute to fundraising and recruitment efforts at gurdwaras and community events.
The money collected often uses the same channels employed by Pakistani jihadi groups in northern Italy to finance activities in India and elsewhere. For instance, funds used to finance the 2018 murders of five Punjabi political leaders originated in Italy, as did funds for the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Avtar Singh Pannu, SFJ’s general coordinator, has directly solicited Italian gurdwaras for volunteers to promote referendums, distribute Khalistan maps, and raise funds. Door-to-door campaigns in areas like Bergamo, Brescia, and Cremona have further bolstered these efforts. Allegedly, Pakistani consulates have also been involved in facilitating these activities.
In 2019, an Italian police raid shut down an internet point in Udine, which served as a fundraising hub for predominantly Pakistani citizens with false documents. Investigators uncovered a network of stores and businesses laundering money linked to terrorism, with transactions exceeding €8 million.
Behind the scenes, this money fuels not only Sikh separatist activities but also Islamic terrorism. Some Islamic cultural centers in northern Italy, despite signing the 2017 “Brescia Pact for a Secular Islam,” were discovered to be involved in jihadist fundraising and indoctrination.
It is essential to delve deeper into the links between jihadi and Sikh terrorism, not only for the safety of Italy but also in the interest of the well-integrated Sikh community. Addressing these connections could prevent Italy from becoming an even greater hub for terrorist organizations and funding for attacks worldwide.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of Khalsa Vox or its members.
