Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a proscribed Khalistani terrorist who heads the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) which has been banned by the government of India has over the years become a nuisance for the security agencies.
The SFJ is not a conventional terrorist organisation which carries out terror attacks with the support of its modules. It indulges in rumour mongering and issuing threats. The SFJ under Pannun shot to prominence in 2018 when a campaign called Referendum 2020 was launched at London’s Trafalgar Square. The event was attended by a sizeable Sikh population.
While the Indian government declared him a terrorist under Section 51A of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Pannun was not deterred and went about his business.
How does Pannun get away
Pannun issues a threat almost on a daily basis. He does not call for peaceful protests, but insists that their demand can be fulfilled only by the use of violence. He has called for the assassination of several leaders in India and all this was not done discretely. He has used the social media freely to upload content and call for killings, protests and the formation of a separate Khalistan nation.
What is surprising is that a man who openly advocates for terror walks free in the United States. He also enjoys support and remains immune to the legal system in Canada and the United Kingdom as well.
Recently Pannun was seen at the inaugural of President Donald Trump. He uploaded a video from the event where he can be seen chanting, ‘Khalistan Zindabad.’ While he did try to give the impression that he had been invited, the fact is that he attended the event after purchasing a ticket. What is important here is that Pannun walks around like any other citizen despite having so many cases filed against him by the Indian security agencies.
Pannun has directed his anger against India and is careful not to break the law in countries such as the UK, US and Canada. He portrays that he is fighting for a just cause and gets away by citing free speech. Even the governments in these countries do not go after him since they do not perceive him to be a threat. Furthermore, he has only indulged in propaganda and not carried out any attacks. This has also ensured his protection from the law.
A Pakistani friend to the rescue
It is no secret that Pannun is an ISI man. This gives him a certain amount of leverage as the ISI knows how to work its people in countries such as Canada, US and UK. The ISI’s reach is impressive in these countries and they have enough people to influence the policy makers of the country.
Pannun’s foray in the world of terror began only a few years back. The ISI identified him as a man who can create trouble through his propaganda. The agency then sent in a Pakistani national Mohammad Salman Yunus to assist Pannun.
Once Pannun made contact with Yunus, he also with his brother Avtar Singh Pannun set up the SFJ. They registered as a non-profit organisation in the United States. The organisation was cited with the company number EXTUID_4237096, under the jurisdiction of the District of Columbia.
Yunus also helped Pannun set up his first business venture, a law firm. During these interactions, the two discussed in detail about the future plans and they came up with the K2 model which means Kashmir and Khalistan. Popularly known as the K2 Desk, the idea is to use both Khalistanis and Kashmiri separatists to destabilise India.
Yunus along with one Ghazala Habib made sure that Pannun was part of important platforms in the US. These platforms organise seminars regularly where they romanticise the Kashmir and Khalistan cause. Habib is the director of a separatist organisation called Friends of Kashmir which is closely liked with the ISI.
In August 2020, Friends of Kashmir hosted a webinar which was attended by the members of the US Congress. The meeting was also attended by a Sardar Masood and Abdul Hamid Lone from Pakistan. The webinar also saw the presence of Avtar Pannun, the brother of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Many such seminars are held by these persons were you can see the likes of Pannun and other hardline anti-India elements. Despite all this Pannun remains a free man.
Another instance of him having a free run is when in September 2020, Pannun along with Habib collaborated under the World Kashmir Forum and Friends. Pannun was instrumental in coordinating with the officials of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom to promote an anti-India agenda.
In October the United States filed charges against an Indian government employee stating that he was involved in a failed plot to kill Pannun who is an American citizen. New Delhi cooperated with the US on this and said that the officer in question is no longer employed by the government.
It is his contacts with such forums that help him roam around freely. This clearly shows that there is inaction by the US, UK and Canada despite New Delhi sending in ample proof of Pannun’s terror related activities.
Inciting violence
In India however the officials continue pursue cases against Pannun and the SFJ aggressively with the hope that the US would one day sit up and take notice.
A background note from the Intelligence agencies which formed part of a Home Ministry tribunal order said that Pannun had incited Muslims, Tamils and Christians from Manipur to secede from India.
The note also said that SFH planned terror activities that include threats to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
“Dividing people on communal lines by provoking minority communities against the other communities has become a major tool for SFJ to push up its anti-India agenda. SFJ have been inciting the Christian community in Manipur to raise their voices for a ‘separate country’, the people of Tamil Nadu to raise flags of ‘Dravidstan’ and have been stoking Muslim sentiments by raising the bogey of ‘minority persecution’ and exhorted Muslims of India to carve out a separate ‘Urduistan’,” the background note read.
“Further, SFJ urged the Dalits of India to extend support for its secessionist exercise, citing their ‘persecution’ in the hands of the Indian government. SFJ has also been involved in provoking the farmers of Punjab and Haryana over farm bills,” it also said.
