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Pro-Khalistani Pannun admits contact with Trudeau amid India-Canada tensions
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is one of the founders of the US-based separatist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and a designated terrorist in India.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the general counsel of the secessionist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and a designated terrorist in India, has admitted to communicating with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office over the past several years. Speaking to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Pannun acknowledged that the SFJ had been in contact with Trudeau’s office, detailing alleged espionage networks run by India on Canadian soil.
Asked about his reaction to recent allegations by Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Commissioner Mike Duheme, Pannun said, “It shows Canada's unwavering commitment to justice, a rule of law. Sikhs for Justice have been communicating with the Prime Minister's Office for the last two to three years, detailing all the spy networks. After years of giving information to the Canadian government, when PM Trudeau came out, that was positive and one step forward for justice.”
Pannun said that the expulsion of Indian diplomats by Canada was merely the beginning. “We feel that the Indian consulates in Vancouver and Toronto need to be permanently shut down. India sending other diplomats to fill their vacancies is not going to dismantle the spy network. This is a direct challenge to Canadian sovereignty.”
Pannun's admission comes amid escalating diplomatic tensions between India and Canada.
India-Canada diplomatic crisis
On Monday, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme alleged that Indian government agents had been involved in widespread violence in Canada, including murders and acts of extortion, intimidation, and coercion. Duheme said Indian diplomats and consular officials were linked to these violent actions, which targeted the South Asian community, particularly pro-Khalistani activists. The RCMP also alleged connections between the Indian government and the Bishnoi gang, a criminal organization that has targeted certain groups in Canada.
India has categorically denied these allegations, with officials in New Delhi rejecting attempts by Canadian authorities to link Indian agents to criminal gangs. Indian sources have also dismissed claims that Ottawa shared evidence regarding the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader and Canadian citizen, who was killed in Vancouver in June 2023. India labelled the accusations as "preposterous."
Trudeau appeared before a parliamentary inquiry on Wednesday and reiterated that Canada had "clear indications" that India had violated its sovereignty. However, he conceded that the allegations were based on intelligence and not "hard evidentiary proof."
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said what it has heard only "confirms" New Delhi's consistent stand that Canada has "presented us no evidence" in support of the serious allegations Ottawa chose to level against India and Indian diplomats.
"What we have heard today only confirms what we have been saying consistently all along -- Canada has presented us no evidence whatsoever in support of the serious allegations that it has chosen to level against India and Indian diplomats," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.
"The responsibility for the damage that this cavalier behaviour has caused to India-Canada relations lies with Prime Minister Trudeau alone," it added.
