Diaspora panel in US seeks to include extremist Pannun and SFJ on no-fly list

Washington, November 21

A diaspora panel in the US has sought to include designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and his banned organisation Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) on the no-fly list for issuing video messages threatening people flying Air India.

Participants of a panel discussion ‘Indians in Canada under Threat of Terror and Hate Crimes’, organised by the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS), a group of Indian-Americans and Indo-Canadians, asserted that it’s time for the governments to take strong action against the separatist Sikh leader from the SFJ.

The SFJ is a US-based organisation banned by the Government of India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for its anti-India activities.

In July 2020, Pannun was also declared an “individual terrorist” under the UAPA for promoting secessionism and allegedly encouraging Punjabi Sikh youth to take up arms.

“Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has misrepresented freedom of expression for freedom of terror and his allegations against India for the killing of extremist Nijjer stirred anti-India and anti-Hindu crimes in Canada,” said FIIDS Khanderao Kand.

“His policies seem to be ignoring the threats of extremism which will ultimately adversely impact Canada,” he said.

“The panellists questioned why Gurpatwant Pannu and members of SFJ are not on the no-fly list for his threats to travel by Air India, alluding to the 1985 Air India ‘Kanishka’ bombing,” Kand said in a statement.