Shillong, October 13: A non-profit organization representing the Indian community in Canada has called upon the Justin Trudeau government to swiftly address the threats posed by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a pro-Khalistan hardliner, against Indian diplomats and consulates in G7 nations.
As per IANS, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who serves as the legal counsel for the outlawed Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) and is designated a terrorist in India, renewed his threats after a substantial turnout of Indians at a rally in Toronto’s Mel Lastman Square. This rally was in condemnation of the Hamas attacks on Israel.
In an email addressed to Canadian Minister of Public Safety Dominic LeBlanc, the Hindu Forum Canada (HFC) expressed deep concerns regarding Pannun’s statements, which it believes “endorse hatred and violence against Hindus.”
The HFC emphasized that such statements should not be tolerated and implored the government of Canada to take immediate action to ensure the safety of the Indian community. They stated that Pannun’s hateful video and speech were exacerbating hatred and violence.
The forum further urged Minister LeBlanc to initiate an investigation and consider charging Pannun in connection with hate crimes in Canada.
In the event that Pannun is not a Canadian citizen, the HFC recommended barring his entry into Canada. If he is a Canadian citizen, they urged an investigation and potential charges related to hate crimes.
Pannun’s provocative video message claimed that the Representative Office of India in Palestine was a “terror house” and included threats against envoy Renu Yadav. He announced plans for rallies on October 21 in various G7 nations to “shut down terror houses of India” and called for a peaceful resolution through a referendum on the question of Khalistan.
Simultaneously, the SFJ initiated an email campaign to enable its members to send pre-drafted emails to G7 governments. Last month, Pannun had also threatened Indo-Canadian Hindus to leave the country and return to India.