India has Punjab security threat in check

Significance

The Golden Temple is the holiest shrine in Sikhism, the dominant religion in Punjab. Sikh separatist insurgency was a substantial problem for India in the 1980s and early 1990s. In April, the separatist Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh was arrested after more than a month on the run.

Impacts

• Intelligence officers will step up scrutiny of links between Sikh separatists in India and those based abroad.
• Delhi will strongly condemn anti-India protests by Sikh groups outside any of its diplomatic missions, whenever they occur.
• Punjab will continue to be key to the health of the Indian economy because of its sizeable agricultural output.