Toronto
Pro-Khalistan leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun released a video on Wednesday, calling for a picket of Air India flights on December 1 at Toronto and Vancouver international airports in Canada. This follows a case registered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against Pannun, a leader of the banned Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) group, over a November 4 video threatening the Indian flag carrier. In his new video, Pannun reaffirmed his call to boycott Air India, stating, The Modi government cannot stop SFJ from running a secessionist Khalistan referendum which is the real motive behind NIA’s frivolous terror case. He emphasized that the campaign is a non-violent call to boycott the airline, not to bomb it. Pannun continued to assert that every dollar spent on Air India and other Indian businesses contributes to what he perceives as an existential threat to the Sikh population in India. He dedicated the campaign to Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed outside a gurdwara in Surrey in June this year. The NIA, responding to Pannun’s actions, booked him under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. The agency stated that Pannun’s activities are part of a concerted plan to promote terror acts in India and revive terrorism, creating a false narrative around issues in Punjab and promoting enmity between Sikhs and other communities. Pannun has been under NIA scrutiny since 2019, and non-bailable arrest warrants were issued against him on February 3, 2021. He was declared a ‘Proclaimed Offender’ on November 29, 2022. In September 2023, the NIA confiscated his share of the house and land of a listed terrorist in Amritsar and Chandigarh. The agency considers Pannun’s recent threat as part of his ongoing efforts to disrupt essential transportation networks and promote secessionist activities.
