New Delhi: Khalistani extremist and the founder of the banned organisation Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, recently issued a threat video cautioning Sikhs against travelling on Air India flights after November 19. Pannun suggested potential risks to their lives and indicated possible disruptions to Air India’s operations on that date.
“We are asking the Sikh people not to fly via Air India. From November 19, there will be a global blockade. Air India won’t be allowed to operate. Sikh people, don’t travel by Air India after November 19. Your life can be in danger,” Pannun said in the video that is circulating on social media.
Pannun threatened that on November 19, Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport would be closed and undergo a name change. He highlighted that this coincides with the date of the final match in the ongoing Cricket World Cup.
“The name of this airport will be Shahid Beant Singh, Shahid Satwant Singh Khalistan airport, when Punjab will be liberated,” he added.
SFJ Chief Pannun’s recent threat is not an isolated incident. In September, he made headlines for his controversial call for Hindu-Canadians to depart Canada, a move that occurred amid a diplomatic dispute between India and Canada regarding the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, in a video that circulated on social media, said pro-Khalistan Sikhs have consistently shown loyalty to Canada. He then went on to threaten Indo-Canadian Hindus, urging them to leave the country.
In September, a gathering of Khalistani secessionists took place in Surrey, British Columbia, where they conducted a self-proclaimed ‘Referendum’. Pannun was among those present at this event, which was hosted at the Guru Nanak Singh Gurudwara in Surrey, Vancouver.
In a provocative speech, Pannun used intimidating language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and other leaders. He claimed that the separatists were challenging the territorial integrity of India.
Notably, the ties between India and Canada have been strained after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged the involvement of “agents of the Indian government” in the killing of Nijjar in June.
India had rejected the allegations as “absurd and motivated” and expelled a Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move over Canada’s decision. Canada has yet to provide any public evidence to support the claim about the killing of Nijjar.