 "Who is Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the target of 'assassination bid' in the US")
Even as India-Canada ties continue to be strained over the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, comes news that has the potential to heighten tensions between India and the United States.
According to a report in The Financial Times (FT), Washington issued a diplomatic warning to New Delhi over an assassination attempt on Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil and its concerns that India was involved in the plot.
Reacting to the report, Pannun himself on Wednesday accused India of "transnational terrorism", reported The Guardian.
"The foiled attempt on my life on American soil by the Indian agents is transnational terrorism which is a threat to the US sovereignty, freedom of speech and democracy, so I will let the US government respond to this threat," he added.
But who exactly is Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, and why does he continue to concern Indian authorities?
Who is Gurpatwant Singh Pannun?
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Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a lawyer by profession, reportedly hails from Khankot, a village in Punjab's Amritsar district. He is believed to have graduated from Punjab University in the 1990s.
According to The Caravan, Pannun founded Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) in the United States (US) in 2007.
SFJ aimed to be "an international advocacy and human rights group 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."
Pannun designated a 'terrorist'
Pannun made headlines again in 2018 when he announced in London a "Referendum 2020" "to liberate Punjab that's currently occupied by India".
The following year, the Government of India (GoI) banned Pannun's group, the SFJ, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The home ministry had then noted, "In the garb of the so-called referendum for Sikhs, SFJ is actually espousing secessionism and militant ideology in Punjab, while operating from safe havens on foreign soils and actively supported by inimical forces in other countries."
After declaring the SFJ illegal in India, Pannun was designated as a terrorist under UAPA in 2020, along with eight others. "These individuals are involved in various acts of terrorism from foreign soil. They have been trying to revive militancy in Punjab," the Centre had said.
Anti-India sentiments
The SFJ chief has often taken positions critical of India. For instance, in October 2020, just a week before the anniversary of the death of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Pannun released a video urging Indian students to raise pro-Khalistani slogans and flags in exchange for an iPhone 12 Mini.
In June 2020, he wrote to Chinese President Xi Jinping to "empathise with the people of China" after the Galwan clash. He also condemned "India's violent aggression causing the death of several soldiers of China at Ladakh valley border," The Caravan reported.
Differences with other pro-Khalistan groups
Other pro-Khalistan groups have kept their distance from Pannun and the SFJ. The Dal Khalsa and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) have accused him of enticing youth in Punjab into carrying out his activities by paying them money while enjoying diplomatic immunity from arrest as he is a US citizen.
Harpal Singh Cheema, the president of Dal Khalsa, told The Caravan that Pannun's act of offering money has been counterproductive because the Centre has used it as an opportunity to project him as a terrorist and "sabotage the real movement and struggle for Khalistan."