Narco-terrorism in the Khalistan movement
The earlier Khalistan movement viewed the smuggling and sale of drugs as a lucrative money-making endeavour, something the Khalistani movement today has taken up. Over the past few years, the Khalistan movement has found support in the most unlikely groups—the ultra-liberal elements in the Western countries, especially Canada, the United States, and the UK. Time after time, one sees the brewing of insurgencies that are being beaten. However, in the case of the Khalistan movement, the external support and, even worse, the legitimacy from outside players is contributing to severe national security issues involving the smuggling and sales of drugs and psychotropic substances in India. The term narco-terrorism entered common use in the 1980s when Latin America-based cartels and drug syndicates started using terror acts to expand their vile business. The US’ support to the Taliban in fighting the Soviet Union in the 1980s further enabled the drug syndicates to develop and flourish. Th...