Kanwarpal Singh, an active participant in the political life of Punjab, keenly observing and monitoring the acts of the Indian state vis-a-vis the Sikh political dissidents raises pertinent questions relating to the recent order of the government of India banning the Khalistan Liberation Force under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967.

I am not surprised that KLF has been banned by MHA of India. I am not surprised that Khalistan Liberation Force has been added into the list of 39 organizations -all representing minority or ethnic communities that have been proscribed by India under the draconian Unlawful Activities and Prevention Act (UAPA) 1967.

I am also not surprised that no one will question as to why Abhinav Bharat has not been proscribed despite its direct involvement in a series of bomb blasts targeting the Muslim population in India.

I am definitely surprised that the Khalistan Liberation Force- the KLF, which had hogged headlines over a decade was not banned until yesterday!!

As an active participant in the political affairs of the movement for Sikh freedom over the last few decades, it is this sense of surprise that prompted me to give a run-up to the Khalistan Liberation Force –KLF, in this piece.

Why has it taken the government of India more than three decades to proscribe a body which was dreaded by the Indian police and paramilitary forces?

On 27 December, the Government of India through a notification of the Ministry of Home Affairs, has banned the Khalistan Liberation force, the Sikh armed group set by a Sikh warrior Avtar Singh Brahma in 1986. The government notification alludes to the fresh activities purportedly of this body, but neither the notification nor the official version of the MHA answers my questions.

The sudden announcement of the ban on the organisation by the government of India has amusingly surprised many! Does this mean that the organisation was not banned till date?

After his martyrdom, the baton was passed to a fearless commander, Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala, who indulged in daring operations against the police, security forces and anti-Sikh politicians.  When he attained martyrdom in an encounter in July 1992 in Ludhiana, the reins were passed on to Dr Pritam Singh Sekhon, who was known for his intellect and bravery.  After the suppression of the Khalistan armed struggle and more so after the demise of Dr Sekhon, in the middle of 1995, KLF turned dormant. KLF first aligned with another militant group Babbar Khalsa in 1987-88 and subsequently became an important part of Panthic Committee led by Dr Sohan Singh that spearheaded the armed struggle for Khalistan.

The sudden announcement of the ban on the organisation by the government of India has amusingly surprised many! Does this mean that the organisation was not banned till date? It is made to understand that now the ban has been imposed on the recommendation of the NIA –the National Investigation Agency because KLF has been named as the group behind the targeted killings of Hindu leaders in Punjab.

KLF was loved and feared both.  It was a name to reckon with during the days of active insurgency in Punjab. It is mind-boggling that the state chooses to ban an organisation when the fighting spirit and striking capacity of its members has drastically diminished as compared to it was under the command of Jathedar Brahma and Bhai Budhsinghwala.

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Is it a lapse on the part of successive governments?

Are the Indian agencies so naive or downright incompetent?

How come a militant organization, whose writ ran from 1986 to 1993, went without notice while all other militant groups were banned?

I hope that the Ministry of Home Affairs clears the air.