NEW YORK: A Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has accused the Indian government of operating a spy network in the US and Canada.
In an interview with media, a spokesperson for Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), who was the target of an alleged India-led murder plot said Canada and the US must adopt a tougher approach towards Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for trying to silence Sikh dissidents on foreign soil.
Pannun said that the Modi government must not be allowed to carry out hostile activity in foreign nations saying India’s consulates in the U.S. and Canada were running a “spy network”.
He said the U.S. and Canada “need to put their foot down that regime like Modi’s…should not be allowed to come to America or Canada, challenge their sovereignty and get away with it. They need to put their foot down and close (the consulates) permanently,” he said.
Similar accusations have already been made by Sikh activists in America and Canada.
The U.S. and Canada have stated that Indian agents were involved in assassination plots in their countries last year against leaders of ‘Khalistan’, a Sikh homeland they want to carve out of India’s Punjab state.
The accusations have damaged India’s relations with Canada and the United States. Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau has also accused India’s government of involvement in the 2023 killing of another Canadian Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. In May, Canadian police apprehended and charged four Indian men for the killing.
Pannun stated that Vikash Yadav, the former Indian official indicted by the U.S. for the alleged attempt on his life, was just a “middle-tier soldier”, assigned to carry out the killing by higher-level Indian officials.
The Sikh separatist leader has been holding independent referendums in the U.S., Canada and Europe on creating Khalistan. During the interview, he clarified that his movement advocates a peaceful resolution of the issue and will continue his efforts despite threats to his life.
