Jalandhar: Terming as "dangerous" the
Centre's move to remove from its 'blacklist' the names of 142
wanted terrorists and their associates, the All India Anti-
Terrorist Front on Sunday demanded rollback of the decision.
"The government's move to remove from its 'blacklist' the
names of 142 wanted terrorists, including the heads of various
Sikh extremist groups, is dangerous not only for Punjab but
for the entire nation," AIATF chief MS Bitta said.
"The Centre should rollback the decision as the move will
revive militancy in Punjab," he said, adding that it is not
correct to allow people blacklisted during the days of
militancy to return to the country.
Of the 142 wanted militants, the government decided to
strike the names of 23 Khalistan supporters off the blacklist
and permit them to come to India.
The list includes names like Ranjit Singh alias Neeta, a
native of Jammu and Kashmir who heads Khalistan Zindabad
Force; Wadhawa Singh, chief of Babbar Khalsa International and
Paramjit Singh Panjwar, chief of Khalistan Commando Force.
The wanted persons whose names have been deleted are
believed to be currently based in countries like Pakistan, the
US, Canada, Norway, France and Germany, and the government's
step will enable them to move freely around the world and even
return home.
The Centre's decision follows the Delhi High Court order
to it on February 9 to take a decision on a petition that
pleaded that the list of 169 Sikhs should be reviewed as it
has led to "unnecessary harassment" to various individuals at
different airports and embassies across the world due to
non-renewal of their passports by the Indian government.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, May 15, 2011, 21:58