New Delhi: Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a banned terrorist and leader of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), has warned the Hindus in Canada to leave the country and announced a new referendum and vote to determine if the Indian high commissioner was behind the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. A video of Pannun making these statements is circulating on social media. He said that they want to take revenge for Nijjar, whose death has triggered a diplomatic spat between India and Canada after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused ‘agents of the Indian government’ of carrying out the attack.
Who is Gurpatwant Singh Pannun?
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is a notorious advocate of a separate state for Sikhs in Punjab. He is the legal advisor and spokesperson for Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a group that promotes the idea of Khalistan, an independent Sikh state.
Pannun was born and brought up in Khankot village, on the outskirts of Amritsar in Punjab, India. His father, Mohinder Singh, used to work for the Punjab State Agricultural Marketing Board, while his mother is Amarjit Kaur. He also has a brother named Magwant Singh Pannun.
Pannun’s activities have landed him in legal trouble. In 2020, the Indian government declared him as a terrorist, and seized his agricultural land under Section 51A of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. He is facing 22 criminal cases in Punjab, India, including three sedition charges.
Interestingly, in October 2022, Interpol rejected India’s second request for a Red Corner Notice against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on terrorism charges, citing insufficient information as the reason for their decision.
Pannun’s Involvement in Various Terrorist Acts
Pannun has been linked to various terrorist acts, such as:
The rocket-propelled grenade attack on Punjab Police’s Intelligence headquarters in Mohali last year. An audio message asking Kashmiri Muslims residing in Srinagar to go to Delhi and disrupt the G20 Summit. Assassination threats to multiple chief ministers and other prominent figures via telephonic audio messages
All these acts have been attributed to the banned terrorist organisation Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) founded by Pannun.
Pannun’s Latest Referendum Plans
Just last week, Pannun declared to hold “Shaheed Nijjar kill India referendum” on the question: Is Indian High Commissioner Verma responsible for the ‘assassination’ of Hardeep Singh Nijjar?
He also announced to hold Khalistan Referendum-II on October 29 in Surrey, British Columbia.
Pro-Khalistan leader Nijjar, who was declared a ‘wanted terrorist’ by the Indian government, was shot dead by two gunmen on the premises of Guru Nanak Sikh gurdwara, of which he was the head, in the Punjabi-dominated Surrey city on June 18.
Since Nijjar’s killing, many radical activists have raised questions as three killings of Sikh separatists took place within one month.
