Amritsar, March 31
After the surrender of Germany-based militant before the police at the behest of a Punjab minister, efforts are afoot to manage the ‘surrender’ of Wassan Singh Zaffarwal, chief of the Khalistan Commando Force (Zaffarwal).

Zaffarwal was an employee of the Dhariwal Woollen Mills (Gurdaspur) before joining militancy.

After taking shelter in Pakistan for nine years, he went to Switzerland in 1995, where he established a business.

Zaffarwal had come to the limelight again when he extended support to the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP candidate, Mr Rajmohinder Singh Majithia, during the recent Majitha byelection. This had become an election issue.

Intelligence sources said Zaffarwal was missing from Switzerland. The minister who was instrumental in the successful surrender of the Germany based militant is reportedly making efforts to manage the surrender of Zaffarwal.

Zaffarwal was among the five radicals appointed members of the Panthic Committee at Akal Takht on January 26, 1986, at a ‘Sarbat Khalsa’.

The Panthic Committee had declared “Khalistan” from the Takht on April 29, 1986. After that, he had fled to Pakistan. He is an associate of Mr Jagjit Singh Chauhan, a staunch votary of Khalistan.

A number of FIRs are pending against Zaffarwal as he has owned responsibility for a number of violent crimes.

Earlier, Mr Satnam Singh Paunta Sahib, Vice-President, Dal Khalsa, who remained 14 years in prison in Pakistan for hijacking an Indian Airlines plane, had produced himself before the Delhi High Court in a dramatic manner. Paunta Sahib had sneaked into India by using the Kathmandu route.

He had pleaded before the court that as he had already undergone the sentence for hijacking the plane and could not be punished again for the same crime.