Who is Khalistani extremist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and why have his properties been seized?

Amid heightened tensions between the two nations, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, leader of the banned outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), has issued threats to Indo-Canadian Hindus, asking them to leave Canada and return to India. Days after the threat video went viral online, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) seized Pannun’s properties in Chandigarh and Amritsar. “National Investigation Agency (NIA) today confiscated the house and land of the self-styled General Counsel of the outlawed Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) outfit & Canada-based ‘designated individual terrorist’ Gurpatwant Singh in Amritsar and Chandigarh. This is the first time that properties of an absconding accused of NIA, have been confiscated under section 33(5) of UA(P)A,” an NIA notification read, according to ANI.

#WATCH | Punjab: On the orders of the NIA Mohali court, a property confiscation notice has been pasted outside a house belonging to Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in BharsinghPura village of Jalandhar district https://t.co/sARvrCBq3g pic.twitter.com/qayFaX0MZG

— ANI (@ANI) September 23, 2023

Hindustan Times report claims that Pannun’s agricultural property in the village of Khankot had a notice similar to this posted on it. According to the outlet, the central investigation agency has seized 46 kanals of Pannun’s agricultural land in the village in connection with a terror case that was reported in 2020. The threat comes soon after Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau made a startling allegation that there was a “potential link” between Indian government agents and the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey in June this year. Also read: Not just Nijjar: The 10 Khalistani names India shared with Canada in 2018 All about Gurpatwant Singh Pannun Pannun is a New York-based Sikh secessionist leader who advocates for the creation of Khalistan. He is the legal advisor and spokesperson for SFJ, a banned organization that seeks to achieve Khalistan through a referendum. Born in Khankot village of Punjab’s Amritsar, he studied law at Guru Nanak Dev University and then served as a lawyer in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, according to Daily O. Mahinder Singh, his father, was once employed by the Punjab State Agricultural Marketing Board. According to the Punjab Police file, he is between 51 and 53 years old. According to The Statesman, Pannun may not be well-known in his village, but his family is richly endowed with excellent farmland, a school, and a college right there in the community. Their relocation from Pakistan to Khankot village during the 1947 Partition is the source of their fortune. After being accused of being involved in the Hindu leader’s murder, he escaped India for the United States in 2007. In 2007, he founded SFJ, “with the express intent of achieving self-determination for the Sikh people in their historic homeland in the region of Indian held Punjab and establishing a sovereign state, popularly known as Khalistan”. He faces 22 criminal cases, including three of sedition in Punjab. Also read: What did India’s intel reveal about Khalistani Hardeep Singh Nijjar? ‘Terrorist’ label The group and Pannu both gained attention in August 2018 after they planned a sizable pro-Khalistan Sikh gathering in London’s Trafalgar Square and declared their campaign, “Referendum 2020.” He was declared a terrorist by the Indian government that same year, and under Section 51A of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, his agricultural land was confiscated. It is pertinent to mention here that in October 2022, Interpol denied India’s second application for a Red Corner Notice against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on terrorism-related grounds, citing a lack of information as the basis for their decision. His followers consider him as a freedom fighter who is defending the rights of Sikhs despite the fact that he is a contentious figure. His critics accuse him of being a terrorist who wants to undermine India. The prominent social media user Pannun frequently offers rewards for raising the purported flag of Khalistan on official structures and posts audio and video messages in accented Punjabi. Notably, Pannun collaborated frequently with the murdered Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was stationed in Canada and whose death is at the heart of the diplomatic impasse between Ottawa and New Delhi. Also read: How India-Canada ties turned rocky under Justin’s father, Pierre Trudeau Threats and calls for referendums In the latest viral video, Pannun can be heard saying, “Indo-Canadian Hindus, you have repudiated your allegiance to Canada and the Canadian Constitution. Your destination is India. Leave Canada, go to India. Pro-Khalistan Sikhs have always been loyal to Canada. They have consistently sided with Canada and upheld its laws and Constitution.”

Mr. PM @JustinTrudeau R U allegedly supporting this language towards #Hindus & Kill #India in the name of Freedom of speech & expression in #Canada. Please clear ur stand.@DLeBlancNB @SurreyRCMP @Dave_Eby @mikefarnworthbc @HCI_Ottawa @MEAIndia #HindusUnderAttack #Hatespeech pic.twitter.com/sXqBOqVTd8

— Sameer Kaushal 🇨🇦❤🇮🇳 (@itssamonline) September 18, 2023

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Pannun has also urged all Canadian Sikhs to gather in Vancouver on 29 October for a vote on whether Indian High Commissioner Verma was to blame for the murder of Nijjar. India has been concerned by the fact that Khalistani organisations had previously held referendums in Canada.

“I urge the Canadian and Indian governments to take strict action against these violent extremists and especially SFJ and it’s chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. “

Canada allows another anti India referendum in Surrey, where Gurpatwant Pannun openly calls for Balkanization of India. pic.twitter.com/WXTcIzYNQP

— Dilpreet Chopra (@ChopraDilpreet) September 14, 2023

During the recently concluded G20 Summit, Pannun released an audio message asking Kashmiri Muslims residing in the Valley to go to Delhi and march to Pragati Maidan after Friday prayers, according to India Today. He also threatened to hoist the Khalistani flag at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport. In recent months, Pannun has also made threats against the Hindu population in Canada, including a video message in which he implied that if they did not leave the country by 29 October, he would target Hindu temples and businesses. The SFJ’s previous secessionist movement was named “Referendum 2020,” and it aimed to “liberate Punjab from Indian occupation.” The referendum was planned to take place in Punjab as well as significant cities in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Kenya, and the Middle East, but it finally fell through. According to Indian Express, Pannun was in charge of the SFJ’s campaign against Indian officials whom it accuses of being responsible for the anti-Sikh riots in India in 1984. SFJ has filed court documents in the US in an effort to bring charges against Kamal Nath, Sonia Gandhi, and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. A federal court in Washington summoned Manmohan Singh in September 2013 while he was visiting the US in response to a complaint from the SFJ accusing him of “funding crimes against humanity perpetrated upon the Sikh community in India.” Following a complaint made by the SFJ, then-Punjab CM Amarinder Singh had to cancel a trip to Canada in 2016. In relation to the riots in Gujarat in 2002, Pannun has also brought lawsuits against PM Narendra Modi and actor Amitabh Bachchan. Anti-India sentiments Pannun frequently expresses opinions that are unfavourable to the Indian government. In October 2020, for instance, just a week before the former prime minister Indira Gandhi’s death anniversary, Pannun made a video message in which he urged Indian students to raise the Khalistan flag and slogans in support of the country in exchange for an iPhone 12 Mini. He had also written to Xi Jinping of China in June 2020 to “empathise with the people of China” following the Galwan conflict. He also criticised “India’s violent aggression causing the death of several soldiers of China at Ladakh valley border,” according to the Caravan. Also read: How the pro-Khalistan sentiment has grown in Canada India-Canada row The tensions between India and Canada intensified on Monday as Canadian PM Justin Trudeau alleged that India may have been involved in the murder of Khalistan Tiger Forces leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

He said, “We are there to work constructively with India. We hope that they engage with us so that we can get to the bottom of this very serious matter.” India strongly denies these accusations, calling them “absurd and motivated.” The conflict has resulted in the expulsion of diplomats on both sides, warnings to citizens living in each other’s countries, and an ongoing diplomatic deadlock. India asked for proof to back up Ottawa’s assertions in public, but Trudeau hasn’t given any information on the information Canada’s intelligence services have gathered. With inputs from agencies