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Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who India designated as a Khalistani terrorist, gained notoriety after news broke that the founder of the outlawed Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) organisation and a supporter of Khalistan had perished in an accident in the US. A video of him threatening to attack Indian embassies surfaced hours later.
The Khalistan threat is not going away any time soon; two days ago, two Desi diplomats were targeted in Canada and the Indian consulate in San Francisco was set on fire. There is also speculation of a Khalistan Freedom Rally taking place in Canada the following week.
During this issue, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the founder of the outlawed Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) organisation, passed away last night (5 July). Hours later, though, a video surfaced in which he can be seen threatening the security of Indian embassies.
However, it is significant to note that neither the Indian authorities nor the United States authorities—Pannun lives in America—have officially verified his passing.
Sikh For Justice (SFJ) founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannu assured a TV reporter that he is still alive and residing in New York on Wednesday (July 5), despite widespread reports to the contrary. Journalist Aditya Raj Kaul broke the news, claiming to have received a communication from the infamous Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu.
Several news portals on Wednesday falsely stated that Pannu had died in an accident, according to a video produced by Parvasi Media, a South Asian news outlet based in Canada.
Refutation of reports that Pannu died in an accident in the US
Unverified rumours and videos circulated on Twitter on Wednesday night claiming that Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, the founder of the SFJ, had perished in a car accident in the US. Some TV outlets and news portals also displayed the information. Pannu’s passing was still unconfirmed, and there was no official statement. However, several people debunked reports of Pannu’s passing on social media on Thursday, July 6.
Recently discovered bodies of Khalistani supporters sparked curiosity
Social media rumours about Pannu’s death began after the abrupt and inexplicable deaths of three Khalistani sympathisers in Canada during the past two months. On June 19, a Khalistani supporter named Hardeep Singh Nijjar was fatally shot in Vancouver, Canada. Before Nijjar, Paramjit Singh Panjwar, another follower of the Khalistani movement, was assassinated in Lahore, Pakistan, in May of this year. Avtar Singh Khanda, a self-declared Khalistani leader and member of the Khalistan Liberation Force, passed away on June 15 in Birmingham, England.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun
The Punjabi village of Khankot, which is a small settlement west of Amritsar, is where Gurpatwant Singh Pannun was born and raised. His father, Mohinder Singh, once worked for the Punjab State Agricultural Marketing Board, and his mother is Amarjit Kaur. Pannun has a second brother named Magwant Singh.
Even though Pannun is not widely known in his neighbourhood, his family has wonderful agricultural property, a school, and a college that are all nearby. Their good fortune stems from the 1947 Partition, which caused them to move from Pakistan to the hamlet of Khankot.
Promoting Khalistan’s concept
The support of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun for the establishment of a separate Sikh state in Punjab has earned him widespread recognition. As the group’s legal advisor and spokesperson, he promoted the notion of Khalistan, a sovereign Sikh state.
SFJ, a terror group
The notorious intelligence wing of Pakistan, Inter State Services (ISI), which has been attempting to resurrect insurgency in India, including the establishment of Khalistan, supports Sikh For Justice. Following the Unlawful Activity Prevention Act (UAPA), the Indian government has prohibited it due to its involvement in terrorism-related activities.
