Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Pannun threatens to blow up Air India flight on November 19

Pannun claimed that Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport would remain shut on November 19 and that its name would be changed

Updated - November 05, 2023 12:19 pm IST

Published - November 05, 2023 10:27 am IST - New Delhi (India)

Designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the founder of the banned Sikhs for Justice threatens to blow up Air India flight. File

Designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the founder of the banned Sikhs for Justice threatens to blow up Air India flight. File | Photo Credit: AFP

Designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the founder of the banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), has released a new video asking Sikhs not to fly in Air India aircraft after November 19, as their lives can be under threat. He claimed that Air India would not be allowed to operate on November 19.

"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 claimed that Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport would remain shut on November 19 and that its name would be changed. He highlighted that this is the same day on which the final match of the ongoing Cricket World Cup will take place.

"It is the same day in November on which the final match of the World Terror Cup will be played," he said. "The name of this airport will be Shahid Beant Singh, Shahid Satwant Singh Khalistan airport, when Punjab will be liberated," he added.

This is not the first time that SFJ chief Pannun has issued a threat. In September, he urged Hindu-Canadians to leave Canada amid a diplomatic row between India and Canada over 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.

Also read: Wanted Khalistan Tiger Force chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar gunned down in Canadian city Surrey

Following the spread of a hateful speech by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Hindu Forum Canada's Lawyers asked the Canadian Immigration Minister to ban Pannun's entry into Canadian territory. Hindu Forum Canada's Lawyer wrote to the Minister of Immigration of Canada, Mark Miller, stating that Pannun's recent comments have caused distress and trauma not only within the Hindu community but also among Canadian citizens at large.

Hindu Forum Canada is a not-for-profit humanitarian organisation based in Ontario that advocates for policies that enhance the wellbeing of minority groups in Canada. Earlier in September, Khalistani secessionists held a so-called 'Referendum' in Surrey, British Columbia.

Designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the founder of the banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), was present at the gathering of the Khalistani separatists held 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.

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