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Pakistan – sponsored elements and Khalistan sympathizers actively involved in farmers’ protest? Had the govt been cautioned by the Intelligence Agencies of the same, why did it allow the rally to get out of hand?

The Farmers protest on 26th January 2021 had taken an ugly turn even as an alleged group of protesting farmers went amuck and stormed the Red Fort, hoisting the Nishan Sahib Flag.

However, as per new reports, it seems that the protesting farmers were not alone in their protest but had rogue elements joined the rally under the garb of protesting farmers.

The intrusion of rogue elements is said to be sponsored by Pakistan and the so-called sympathizers of the Khalistan movement.

Before the start of the rally, the Intelligence agencies were well informed of and had sounded the alarm about the possibility of the farmers’ rally being hijacked and the possibility of violence breaking out.

If this indeed is the reality, then why did the government not communicate the same to the farmers’ leaders, take them into confidence and apprise them of the situation?

Despite the alarm sounded by the intelligent agencies, the government let the protesting farmers and the miscreants under the garb of farmers’ convene and let the protest happen.

If the inputs of the intelligence agencies had been taken into account and the leaders of the farmers union taken into confidence the violence, and the rioting could have been avoided.

This raises the question, did the government let the rioting happen such that it put the farmers’ protest in limbo and on the back foot when it came to negotiating with the government on the farm reforms.

The farmers’ protest had been gaining momentum, and with no sign of the farmers retreating or coming to an agreement concerning the controversial farm bills, it seems that the only way in for the government was to let the situation escalate such that the farmers’ community find themselves on the backfoot and embarrassed.

Even as the farmers assembled around Red Fort on 26th January, the Indian embassy in Washington saw protests from members of the Khalistan separatist groups.

Sikh DMV Youth and Sangat hosted the protest outside the embassy in Washington; even though only a handful of people participated in the demonstration, it succeeded in getting the desired attention outside of India.

Many in the mob held so-called ‘Khalistan’ flags and raised slogans while claiming that they had assembled in support of the ongoing farmers protest back in India.

Pakistan Involvement
Pakistan has had a history and a track record that is consistent when it comes to poking and inciting violence in India. Irrespective of the internal issues prevalent at any point in time, Pakistan leaves no stone unturned to make matters difficult for the country.

In the case of farmer’s protest, too, it is alleged that Pakistan has a hand in instigating violence in the country by extending support and fueling the ‘Khalistan Movement.’

On the 26th January too, more than 400 Twitter handles run in Pakistan had become active, and the objective of the same was to add as much fuel to the fire, under the garb of the protesting farmers, who were completely unaware of the developments that were transpiring around them.

As per reports, Khalistan separatist groups have been in touch with the militant outfits in Kashmir, and the growing links have now caught the eye of the authorities.

Pakistan has been interfering and funding terrorist outfits against India for decades now; the Kashmir issue has been repeatedly brought up in the world arena in an attempt to garner support.

However, Pakistan has not been able to garner the response and the support from the other countries in the world as it would have liked.

Hence, Pakistan’s only option is to continuously and repeatedly attempt at cross border terrorism and supporting anti-Indian extremists.

Pakistan is aware that a full-blown outright war with India is not possible; it neither has the funds nor the world’s support if it indulges in this tactic. Thus the only option it has is to adopt a hide and seek attacks and a proxy war.

The Pakistan involvement in 26th January Farmers Protest & Violence
The farmers protest until now has been a peaceful event with no untoward incident and acts of violence, but the two names that have caught the attention Deep Sidhu and Lakha Sidhana, are alleged to be supported by certain extreme left-leaning elements, and some pro – Khalistan channels and have openly been motivating people to fight for a “Sikh Homeland.”

Subsequently, the farmers’ protest on 26th January, the elements backed by ISI with the sole agenda of turning the peaceful farmers protest as intended, turned into an act of violence.

This turn of events is alarming, and both the leaders of the protesting farmers and the government of India should take heed as it signals the fact that external elements are once again active and working to hijack the internal matter and the ongoing rift between the farmers and the government and to take advantage of this rift.

Even as pro-Khalistan slogans have resurfaced in Punjab, the Pakistan media taking an active interest and broadcasting the same is an indication that Pakistan is back to its tactics.

In one of the reports, a Pakistan daily wrote: “Convinced of his invincibility and riding an unchallenged authoritarian streak, Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have overplayed his hand with India’s livid farmers who staged a huge ‘tractor rally’ in New Delhi.”

The above piece is a clear indication that Pakistan is quick to take any opportunity to comment and interfere in India’s internal matters and equally quick to take advantage of such incidents, to suit its malicious intent.

A warning has also been sounded by Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh, who speaking on the events of the farmers’ tractor rally, said,” I don’t believe the farmers were involved in violence.” “I have been warning the government for a long time that Pakistan is trying to infiltrate… A disturbed Punjab suits Pakistan’s policies”.

This again raises the question, if the intelligence agencies and the government officials (Punjab CM) have indeed been sounding the alarm, why did the government not take the leaders of the protesting Famers’ Union into confidence and prevent the violence from happening in the first place?

Is this a tactic adopted by the government in a bid to put the protesting farmers in a spot?

 

 

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