In a move aimed at consolidating the Sikh votes in poll-bound Punjab, the Prime Minister’s Office has decided to do away with a 32-year old government diktat banning visits to India by NRIs from 212 Sikh families, reports The Hindustan Times.
The blacklist created after 1984 was aimed at keeping away pro Khalistan elements that had fled to the United States, UK and Canada in the aftermath of the crackdown that ensued Operation Bluestar.
PM Modi over the past couple of months had been approached by representatives from various Sikh groups who had requested for the scrapping of this blacklist.
Following directions from the PMO a committee headed by additional secretary of the home ministry examined 324 cases under the blacklist, of which 212 have been cleared while another 112 cases are under examination.
Experts believe that many of the names in the blacklist were arbitrary, and Sikh NRI groups have also alleged a case of systematic discrimination against them, claims rejected by the Intelligence Bureau which citing security concerns has opposed the proposal to remove the ban for over three decades.
Source: The Hindustan Times
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