Banned Khalistani Leader’s Video Makes Targets of Amit Shah, S Jaishankar When Abroad

VANCOUVER: A video released on Friday by US- based designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of proscribed Sikh for Justice (SFJ) attempts to create targets of Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma, by linking them to the killing of Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Vancouver in June.

The video by G S Pannun purportedly shows him declaring a bounty of USD 125000 to anyone who provides information about Amit Shah’s foreign visit, as well as whereabouts of S Jaishankar and Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma, accusing them of abetting and conspiracy to murder of another Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Pannun is wanted by National Investigation Agency (NIA) in relation to a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Pannun holds dual passports of both US and Canada. In 2020, Pannun was declared a designated terrorist by the Indian government under Section 51A of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act

Pannun, through the video, threatened to hold the above named three public figures accountable under international laws for Nijjar, who was reported to have been gunned down in a shootout during an inter-gang warfare among Sikh radicals in Canada’s Vancouver in June.

The banned SFJ has given a call to Khalistani radicals based in Canada to hold Indian diplomatic premises in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver to siege on August 15, while also declaring September 10 as a day for calling a so-called Sikh referendum in Vancouver.

Indian diplomats based in Canada have already conveyed the information about the bounty on heads of Shah, Jaishankar and Verma to the intelligence agencies and local law enforcement, but the inaction of US government, India’s close ally, on Pannun is a source of surprise as the two countries have robust cooperation on counter-terrorism.

Although Khalistani extremist Pannun’s announcement of the reward is ostensibly aimed at picketing these top leaders and a diplomat when abroad, it may be construed as an open threat by the terrorist leader to target Shah, Jaishankar and Verma in the coming days.

While it is known that India’s top diplomat Jaishankar travels abroad most frequently, Home Minister Amit Shah is not keen on travelling outside India till the time Indian NRIs are allowed to vote in an Indian general election.

EAM Jaishankar has been charging the Justin Trudeau government of playing vote bank politics by unwilling to take action against Sikh extremists based in Canada, the inaction by US government on Pannun speaks volumes. Indian intelligence agencies have, in fact, not shirked from making it known to their US counterparts their understanding that US justice hesitates to take action against Pannun as he may be an agent of the CIA or FBI of the US.

In the last few decades, Canada, UK, US and Germany have provided shelter to Sikh radicals in name of granting asylum from human rights violation in Punjab and have also allowed them to raise funds within their countries to target India.

“Openly threatening Amit Shah, Jaishankar and India’s envoy to Canada cannot be termed as freedom of speech. This is unacceptable to India,” said a national security planner.

Such lack of action by these countries against the likes of Pannun and the now- dead Nijjar and Khanda has only emboldened the miniscule Sikh radicals in these countries. Moreover, this has also allowed countries like Pakistan to fish in troubled waters in India.

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