New Delhi: Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is now appearing on Pakistani television channels to spew venom against India and her armed forces.
In a clip shared on social media, Pannun is seen appearing on Pakistan’s much watched GEO News and saying that India lost the latest conflict against Pakistan as Sikhs refused to take part in Operation Sindoor.
This comes days after BSF constable Harvinder Singh – a Sikh – became the first security forces personnel to receive the Chief of Army Staff’s Commendation Disc for bringing about effective fire on Pakistani posts, using 81 MM mortars. Indian Army chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi personally pinned the medal on Singh’s chest at a forward location.
Pannun is the general counsel of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), an organisation banned in India. The organisation is known to have links with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and has been accused of radicalizing Punjabi youth with pro-Khalistan propaganda. The group has also been implicated in arms smuggling and drug trafficking operations, targeting Punjab’s youth.
Pannun is heard speaking in Punjabi – a language well understood in Pakistan – and also raising the slogan ‘Nara-e-Takbeer’. This is a slogan raised during large Muslim gatherings and is followed up with the words: “Allah-hu-Akbar”.
The SFJ is known to have launched a campaign in the United States as India prepares to send a delegation to intensify her global outreach to expose Pakistan’s role in the Pahalgam terrorist attack and India’s Operation Sindoor to eliminate terror hubs in Pakistan.
The SFJ has branded the official Indian mission as a “Delegation of Devils” and announced plans to petition the US State Department and Congress against it. The move is widely seen as an attempt to disrupt India’s bipartisan push to expose Pakistan’s involvement in fostering terrorism in Kashmir.
Pannun accused India of “manufacturing war” to implicate Pakistan, demanding that the US hold India accountable for Operation Sindoor. He also questioned the credibility of India’s intelligence and claimed that religious sites such as Nankana Sahib were targeted during the operation, something that has been categorically denied by India.
Rather, India has exposed an attack by Pakistan on the Golden Temple in Amritsar with missiles and drones that was thwarted by India’s robust air defence mechanism.