India’s Foreign Minister, Home Minister in hit list of Khalistani terrorists

Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, a Canada-based terror figurehead linked to the Sikh for Justice (SFJ) group, has reportedly issued threats to top Indian officials, including foreign minister Dr S Jaishankar, home minister Amit Shah, and Sanjay Kumar Verma, the Indian High Commissioner to Canada.

Pannu, a key advocate for the separation of Punjab from India, issued the threats in a video message, accusing New Delhi of facilitating the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another prominent terror figurehead, allegedly killed in a conflict among Sikh radicals.

Holding dual citizenship from the US and Canada, Gurpatwant Singh Pannu serves as the legal advisor and spokesperson for the banned Sikh for Justice. His current whereabouts remain unknown following Nijjar’s death. Pannu is sought by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Khalistani terrorists threaten to kill India’s Foreign Minister and Home Minister. Image courtesy of BestGraphics_Com from Pixabay.

In recent years, the call for a separate Sikh state, a campaign largely discredited within India, has seen some resurgence, primarily among certain groups in Canada, the UK, Australia, and the US. In line with this separatist agenda, Sikh for Justice has called for Sikh radicals in Canada to besiege Indian diplomatic premises in Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver on August 15. The Khalistani group has also set September 10 as the date for a purported Sikh referendum in Vancouver.

Notably, the lack of action against Gurpatwant Singh Pannu by the US, a close ally of India with existing counter-terrorism cooperation mechanisms, has raised some eyebrows.