Even as the Government of India continues its sustained crackdown on the US-based pro-Khalistan outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), the organisation continues to reach out to Indians, particularly opinion-makers like journalists and lawyers with pre-recorded, international calls to push its secessionist agenda and propagate its Sikh ‘Referendum 2020’ campaign, reports The Times of India on July 7. As per the report, many journalists in Delhi have lately been receiving calls originating mostly from numbers in the US, seeking their support for SFJ's Khalistan cause and ‘Referendum 2020’, under which popular vote is being solicited in support of Punjab’s secession from India. The messages that are played out every time one accepts the international call – that may show Michigan or Georgia or any other location in the US as the point of origin of the call, contain anti-India statements and invoke radical Sikh feelings to push their ‘Khalistan’ agenda.
An intelligence officer said the calls on behalf of SFJ were being made as part of global propaganda run by its leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The officer said, “the idea is to contact lawyers and journalists to ensure publicity for their agenda. It is possible that they have accessed their numbers from the public domain; such as PIB website or e-directory of lawyers. The numbers are mostly internet-generated and since the calls are made from different numbers, it becomes difficult to track or block them. If at all, the US authorities can be persuaded to help track down these numbers and take requisite action.”