People who have never witnessed the true face of militancy in Punjab want Khalistan’
Chandigarh: The police in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh have registered separate FIRs against chief of the banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) Gurpatwant Singh Pannun over threats and attempting to disturb peace, stability and communal harmony.
India had officially imposed a ban on the SFJ organisation and Pannun as a terrorist since 2019, yet countries like Canada, the UK and the US, with a sizable Sikh diaspora, have allowed the organisation to conduct anti-India activities, including holding illegal referendums to build a campaign for secession of Punjab.
Members of the Indian diaspora admit that people like Pannun are raising funds in the name of referendums by abusing and accusing Indian authorities of atrocities against minorities, particularly the Sikhs.
“In fact, most of the second or third generation of a particular community born and brought up in foreign shores, who have never witnessed the true face of militancy in Punjab (from 1981-1992), have been raising a bogey against India for their freedom,” remarked a Sikh scholar.
He told IANS that they are the ones who have never witnessed the dark days of militancy.
“In the name of referendums, a handful of separatists like Pannun get the opportunity to establish their base overseas by raising funds from Pakistan’s ISI and similar agencies in China,” said a police official.
The Western countries think action against hardliners would be a violation of freedom of expression, he added.
Reacting to Trudeau’s allegations of “potential link between Indian government agents and murder of Nijjar”, senior BJP leader and former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh said Trudeau had unfortunately walked into a trap owing to vote-bank politics and put at stake the diplomatic relationship between India and Canada.
In Punjab, 1,792 police personnel had sacrificed their lives while fighting terrorism between September 1981 and August 1992.
Back to the separatist activities of Pannun, he has been booked in 22 cases since 2017, including on terrorism and sedition charges. Recently, he was booked by the Punjab Police for sedition after SFJ activists wrote a pro-Khalistan slogan on a glass box covering the statue of slain chief minister Beant Singh in Jalandhar.
Himachal Pradesh Police in May had booked Pannun under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for hoisting of Khalistani flags outside the state Assembly complex in Shimla.
A law graduate from Panjab University, Pannun currently resides in Oakville on the outskirts of Canada’s Toronto.
Originally from Khankot village on the outskirts of Amritsar, Pannun’s father, Mahinder Singh, was an employee with the Punjab State Agricultural Marketing Board.
**************************************************
Readers
These are extraordinary times. All of us have to rely on high-impact, trustworthy journalism. And this is especially true of the Indian Diaspora. Members of the Indian community overseas cannot be fed with inaccurate news.
Pravasi Samwad is a venture that has no shareholders. It is the result of an impassioned initiative of a handful of Indian journalists spread around the world. We have taken the small step forward with the pledge to provide news with accuracy, free from political and commercial influence. Our aim is to keep you, our readers, informed about developments at ‘home’ and across the world that affect you.
Please help us to keep our journalism independent and free.
In these difficult times, to run a news website requires finances. While every contribution, big or small, will makes a difference, we request our readers to put us in touch with advertisers worldwide. It will be a great help.
For more information: pravasisamwad00@gmail.com