Pak national convicted in US for aiding Sikh militant group in India

Khalid Awan, a Pakistani national in New York, was yesterday found guilty of providing financial support to a Sikh militant group in India. He could face up to 45 years in prison.

The Sikhs' group is branded a terrorist organisation by Washington. The quantum of sentence for Awan would be announced on March 7, 2007.

The federal jury in New York announced the verdict following two weeks of trial, the US Department of Justice said in a statement.

Among the evidence presented in court were statements by Awan admitting that he sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to KCF. "The war on terror is a global battle. We will not permit individuals in our jurisdiction to finance terrorist groups responsible for murder and violence in any part of the world," said US attorney Mauskopf Mauskopf of the Eastern District of New York.Awan faces a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison," The News quoted the statement as saying.

Awan, who lives in New York, was accused of providing money and financial services to the Khalistan Commando Force (KCF), a Sikh militant group fighting for a separate state in the Punjab region of India.

Initially held in New York on federal credit card fraud charges, Awan reportedly made telephone calls to Paramjit Singh Panjwar, the KCF leader and one of 10 "most wanted fugitives" in India, said the statement. (ANI)

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