Pakistan spy agency fomenting militancy in India: official

Iran Press TV

Wed Jun 5, 2013 3:17PM GMT

Indian Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde has accused Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of trying to recruit militants across the border in the Indian state of Punjab.=

Shinde told a press conference in New Delhi that ISI had set up several training camps in order to destabilize several states across India.

'Their [militants] commanders based in Pakistan are under pressure from ISI to further ISI's terror plans not only in Punjab but also in other parts of the country," Shinde said.

"The Sikh youths are being trained in ISI facilities in Pakistan," noted the Indian minister, adding "There has been some significant developments on the Sikh militancy front."

The minister claimed that Sikh youths living in the United States and Europe were also being encouraged to travel to Pakistan to be trained for terrorist-related attacks.

Indian officials say Sikh separatists based outside India are trying to revive militancy in the state of Punjab.

New Delhi armed forces battled a bloody uprising by Sikh secessionists in Punjab in the 1980s.

India has repeatedly accused its neighbor and arch-rival of some degree of involvement in attacks over its major cities in recent years.

Pakistan, which has firmly denied allegations of involvement, has asked India to share information and has urged New Delhi to refrain from blaming Islamabad.

JR/SS