US-based Khalistan terrorist threatens to target Amit Shah and Jaishankar for Nijjar killing

Designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the founder of US-based Khalistan militant group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), has threatened to target Home Minister Amit Shah and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, a new video released by the SFJ said.

In the video, GS Pannun, who is a terrorism suspect in India and wanted by National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, declared a reward of USD 125,000 (more than ₹1 crore) for anyone who can provide information about the foreign visits Amit Shah, S Jaishankar, and Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma, for abetting and conspiracy to murder for wanted terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Nijjar was murdered by unknown assailants on June 18 outside a gurudwara in Surrey, British Columbia.

Lay siege to Indian consulates: Khalistan terrorist GS Pannun to Sikh diaspora

Pannun’s SFJ called upon the pro-Khalistan Sikh radicals in Canada to ‘lay siege’ to the Indian diplomatic premises in the Canadian cities of Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver on August 15 – the Indian Independence Day. It has also declared September 10 for a so-called Khalistan referendum, which is scheduled to be held in Vancouver.

Canadian authorities have already been alerted by the Indian diplomats about the Khalistani bounty on the heads of Shah, Jaishankar, and Verma. Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar slated the Canadian response to the Khalistani threats to Indian diplomats, saying, “How Canada has dealt with the Khalistani issue has long been a concern for us. Quite frankly they seem to be driven by vote-bank politics.”

However, the US inaction on the threats issued by the SFJ is more complicated, considering the two countries cooperate in the counter-terrorism field. The inaction of the American authorities has given rise to whispers that Pannun may be a CIA or FBI asset.

“Openly threatening Amit Shah, Jaishankar and India’s envoy to Canada cannot be termed as freedom of speech. This is unacceptable to India,” an anonymous Indian national security planner told Hindustan Times.