Ahead of the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, the Government of India has removed the names of 312 Sikh Foreign nationals from the Adverse list maintained by all Indian missions abroad.
Many supporters of the Khalistan movement in the 1980’s fled the country to avoid prosecution by the various law enforcement agencies. This list forbade those in it from applying for travel visas to India and it included the relatives of those in the list too. The list was maintained by all Indian missions abroad in consultation with the various security agencies back home. The government had maintained the list till 2016 before it was done away with.
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This step by the government is a strong positive step being taken in the face of Pakistan sponsored revival of the Khalistani insurgency. According to the intelligence inputs available with the government, the notorious Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) is behind the recent spate of arms and narcotics smuggling into Punjab and the Khalistan 2020 referendum campaign abroad.
This move is a clear indication of a new India which is confident of itself and proud of its diaspora.