US foiled plot to kill Sikh activist, raised it with India: report

The United States (US) authorities thwarted the plot to assassinate the New York-based lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and issued a warning notice to the Indian government, ARY News reported on Wednesday, citing international media reports.

According to the report, the authorities in the United States of America (USA) had issued a warning to the Indian government for allegedly being involved in plotting to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader in the USA.

Gurpatwant Singh, an American and Canadian Citizen is general counsel for Sikhs for Justice, a US-based group that is part of a movement pushing for an independent Sikh state called “Khalistan”.

Earlier, the US authorities informed some ‘allies’ about the plot following the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh separatist killed in Vancouver in June.

In September, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were “credible allegations” linking New Delhi to Nijjar’s fatal shooting.

One person familiar with the situation said the US protest was issued after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a high-profile state visit to Washington in June.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun reacts

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun reacted on this news and said that the foiled attempt on his life on American soil by the Indian agents is transnational terrorism which is a threat to the US sovereignty, freedom of speech and democracy.

Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) is using “Ballot” to liberate Punjab while India is using “Bullets” to stop the ongoing Khalistan Referendum – the motive behind India’s efforts to kill me.

“India is using mercenaries to kill Pro Khalistan Sikhs hence I dare Modi Government to declare Open Armed Conflict with Punjab and history is a witness that the Sikh sovereignsts will defend with equal force and continue to campaign for liberation of Punjab from the Indian occupation”, he told ARY News from an undisclosed location.

“At this time my focus is not threats to my life but to organize American Phase of Khalistan Referendum scheduled to start from San Francisco CA on January 28, 2024, which Indian government is attempting to block”.