According to multiple people familiar with the case who spoke to the Financial Times (FT), US authorities foiled an Indian plot to kill pro-Khalistan leader of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on US soil and warned India’s government over concerns it was involved in the plot.
Gurpatwant, an American and Canadian citizen who serves as general counsel for Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a US-based organization that is a member of a movement advocating for an independent Sikh state dubbed “Khalistan,” was the intended target of the Indian conspiracy, according to a startling report published by the Financial Times.
The intelligence sources with knowledge of the case, who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the intelligence that led to the alert, informed FT that Pannun, who has been spearheading the global Khalistan Referendum campaign, in which more than 1.3 million Sikhs have cast ballots, was the target of a plot to assassinate him.
The FBI may have intervened and stopped a conspiracy that was already underway, but the US sources did not disclose to the Financial Times if the protest to New Delhi caused the plotters to quit their plan.
Following the June assassination of Canadian Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Vancouver, the US notified a few allies of the plot.
The prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, stated in September that there were “credible allegations” connecting New Delhi to the shooting death of Nijjar.
According to an individual familiar with the matter, as reported by The Financial Times, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s high-profile state visit to Washington in June prompted the US protest.
According to persons familiar with the case, US federal prosecutors have filed a secret indictment against at least one alleged scheme perpetrator in a New York district court, in addition to the diplomatic warning, as reported by the Financial Times.
According to the article, the US Justice Department is considering whether to release the indictment and make the accusations public or to hold off until Canada has completed its inquiry into Nijjar’s death.
According to those familiar with the proceedings, one of the individuals named in the indictment may have fled the United States, further complicating the case.
Both the FBI and the US Justice Department declined to comment. “Upholding the safety and security of US citizens is paramount,” the National Security Council stated, adding that the US “does not comment on ongoing law enforcement matters or private diplomatic discussions with our partners.”
After Trudeau made the circumstances of the Vancouver homicide public, Washington disclosed the Pannun case to a larger coalition of allies, raising concerns about a potential pattern of behavior.
When contacted by the Financial Times, Pannun said he would “let the US government respond to the issue of threats to my life on American soil from the Indian operatives,” declining to comment on whether or not he had received a warning from US officials about the plot.
“I believe that the Biden administration is more than capable of handling any such challenge,” Pannun told the FT. “A threat to an American citizen on American soil is a challenge to America’s sovereignty.”
This month, Pannun made a video announcement asking Indian officials to stop Sikhs from flying on Air India, citing it as a “life-threatening” experience.
According to multiple sources with knowledge of the discussions within the Biden administration, officials knew that if the US plot and Washington’s protest to New Delhi were made public, it would cast doubt on India’s dependability as a partner. This information was reported by the Financial Times.
Biden brought up the Canadian charges with Modi during the September G20 meeting in India, according to a prior report by The Financial Times. Whether Biden brought up the Pannun case with Modi in September was not disclosed by the White House.
Additionally, US Ambassador to Canada David Cohen stated in September that the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada make up the intelligence-sharing network known as “Five Eyes,” which sent information to Ottawa regarding the Vancouver case.
Nijjar, the leader of Khalistan Referendum Canada and close friend of Pannun, was assassinated on Canadian soil a few months ago by agents of the Indian secret service. PM Justin Trudeau of Canada has accused India explicitly.
Nijjar, 45, was shot and killed outside the same Sikh temple in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver with a sizable Sikh community.
Nijjar was linked to US-based Khalistani leader Gurpatwant and served as Chief Coordinator of the Khalistan Referendum campaign in Canada.
The Indian government designated Nijjar, Pannun, Paramjeet Singh Pamma, who is residing in the UK, and others as terrorists in 2020. The largest Gurdawara in Canada, the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in British Columbia, was presided over by Nijjar as well.
The independent Punjab Referendum Commission (PRC) is in charge of overseeing the Khalistan Referendum voting campaign. Once all phases have been completed, the PRC will make an announcement regarding the results.
Voting began in London on October 31, 2021, and has since spread to a number of cities in the UK, Geneva, Switzerland, Rome, and Milan, Italy; Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney in Australia; Brampton, Mississauga, Malton, Ontario, and Vancouver, British Columbia.
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