Saturday, Aug 17, 2002
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By Vinay Kumar
The convictions of Avtar Singh Hundal and Kesar Singh Dhaliwal by a court in Kent, United Kingdom, have been hailed by the Union Home Ministry here as being "very significant which shall have far-reaching consequences.'' Official sources said the convictions would "go a long way in deterring terrorist organisations and their supporters from using the U.K. as a base for planning, organising and funding terrorist acts against India.'' The Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, is also writing to his counterpart in the U.K., John Prescott, placing on record India's appreciation of the action against members of the banned terrorist organisation. Mr. Advani is scheduled to pay a two-day visit to the U.K., beginning August 21 to further cement the cooperation between the two countries in fighting global terrorism. He acknowledged that India had been getting "excellent cooperation" from the U.K. in its war against terrorism. In the forefront of war against global terrorism, the British Government was one of the first to proscribe organisations, which were involved in terrorism in India. The six terrorist organisations, banned under the U.K. Anti-Terrorism Act, 2000, are: Harkat-ul-Mujahideen , Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Babbar Khalsa International, International Sikh Youth Federation and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Describing the U.K. judgment as a "landmark'', official sources quoted Judge Andrew Patience as observing that "the evidence is overwhelming. To be a member of a terrorist organisation in this country is a grave offence.'' Avtar Singh Hundal and Kesar Singh Dhaliwal were detained on arrival in Dover by ferry from Germany in January this year. They were found carrying membership cards for the ISYF. The British police believe the men had arrived in the U.K. to raise funds for the ISYF, which has been proscribed under the U.K. Terrorism Act 2000. A third individual, Paramjit Singh, who had been arrested along with them, continues to be detained but charges have not yet been framed against him. Dhaliwal's wife and son live in the U.K. and he was a frequent visitor to the country. He was also reportedly involved in illegal human trafficking. The detainees did not receive any support from the local Sikhs or groups linked with the proscribed organisation.
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