Khalistani Leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun Declares New Front, Associates with Terror Groups in Kashmir

Amid Diplomatic Tensions, Pannun Acknowledges Association with Kashmir-Khalistan Referendum Front

In the midst of a diplomatic row between India and Canada and escalating tensions with the US, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a prominent Khalistani leader and the chief of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), has openly declared a new front, showcasing his association with terror groups in Kashmir.

Identifying himself as the spokesperson of the Kashmir-Khalistan Referendum Front, Pannun justified Thursday’s ambush on Indian soldiers as a “consequence of India’s violence against Kashmiris.” He claimed that Indian Occupied Kashmir is an internationally recognized disputed territory where, according to him, India’s Army has been committing genocidal violence for decades.

In a recent terrorist attack on two military vehicles in the Rajouri sector of Jammu and Kashmir, at least four Army personnel lost their lives, and three others were injured. Pannun termed it a result of the alleged violence against Kashmiri freedom fighters.

Listed as an “individual terrorist” by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2020, Pannun asserted that the only peaceful resolution to the territorial dispute in Indian Occupied Kashmir is to hold a referendum to determine the will of the indigenous people.

Drawing a parallel with SFJ’s efforts to hold a Khalistan Referendum challenging Punjab’s association with the Union of India, Pannun urged Kashmiri freedom fighters to organize and conduct a Kashmir Independence Referendum.

Intelligence sources suggest that Pannun’s recent declaration further clarifies his association with designated terror groups in Pakistan involved in attacks on Indian soldiers.

In a provocative statement, Pannun questioned whether Prime Minister Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and NSA Ajit Doval “have a 24/7 security blanket.” Referring to them as the “axis of evil,” he warned them to be “ready to face consequences” and referenced the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada as the firing of the “first bullet” by India.

Highlighting the 180 days since Nijjar’s murder, Pannun boasted about the display of violence by Khalistani sympathizers in Vancouver. In a previous video, he had threatened passengers of Air India flights on November 19 and issued threats to attack India’s Parliament in response to an alleged failed murder plot against him.

In a video featuring a poster of the 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru with the caption ‘Delhi Banega Khalistan,’ Pannun announced his intention to respond to the alleged conspiracy by Indian agencies to kill him with an attack on Parliament on or before December 13.