In a fresh threat to attack the Indian Parliament, the chief of the banned Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) organization, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun addressed PM Narendra Modi and said that neither the United States of America nor Canada cannot help India protect its territorial integrity.
The Fresh Threat
Pannun said, “America and Canada cannot help you protect your territorial integrity, because successive Indian regimes have committed a large genocide of Sikhs.” “Yes, I am going to challenge your territorial integrity and I am going to announce a response to the assassination attempt that is going to shake the very foundations of your Indian Parliament,” Pannun said He also said to the Indian government that the liberation of Punjab from the Indian territory and Indian occupation is the only solution acceptable.
Reactions
Reacting to these threats, the top intelligence sources have said that it is a regular feature of Pannun adding that he is issuing threats and warnings to avoid scrutiny. Sources have said this to be a serious concern for the country’s security. They said that Pannun is not just issuing threats, but also provoking the minds of sensitive people along with many youths and children, who are not aware of the facts, especially those who had taken birth after the 1984 Sikh genocide. “We are taking this seriously and we will speak to the US, UK, and Canada on this,” top intelligence sources have said.
Reaction from MEA
On December 7, 2023, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi reacted to Pannun’s threats to attack the Indian Parliament and said that India does take these threats very seriously. “We are caught in a bind here and I do not want to amplify them matter credence to search extremists who make threats and get a lot of coverage. “We have taken up this matter with the US and Canadian authorities, Bagchi noted. The MEA spokesperson also emphasized that terrorists and extremists tend to want media coverage on an issue.
Previous Threats
In the month of November 2023, Pannun had openly threatened to picket an Air India flight from Vancouver and Toronto in a video, where he asked the Sikhs to not travel by the airline. Top government officials informed an Indian media agency that since the threats emerged from Canada, it is the Canadian authority’s responsibility to allow uninterrupted operations of the flight from their land. “Any attack on crew or carrier will be Canada’s responsibility and they must assure this in writing.
Sources have said that Pannun is trying to provoke the youth against India and is threatening to repeat the Air India 1985 Kanishka bombing in which all the passengers aboard the flight were killed due to an explosion. The Air India Boeing 747 flight, named after emperor Kanishka, from Toronto was scheduled to make stops at Montreal’s Mirabel airport, London’s Heathrow, Delhi’s Palam, and Bombay’s Sahar on June 23, 1985, exploded mid-air, killing 329 passengers, including 22 members.
