Air India Threat: Khalistani Pannun Warns of Attack Nov 1-19

Aakhir Tak – In Shorts:

1. Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has threatened an attack on Air India between November 1-19.
2. Pannun claims this attack could be linked to the 40th anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
3. The threat emerges amid ongoing diplomatic tension between India and Canada over the Khalistani issue.

Aakhir Tak – In Depth:

Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has once again issued a threat against Air India, warning passengers not to fly between November 1-19, 2024. He claims that during this period, there could be an attack on Air India flights to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Pannun, who holds dual citizenship in Canada and the U.S., leads the organization Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). He had issued a similar threat around the same time last year. His latest warning comes at a time when Indian airlines have been receiving multiple hoax bomb threats, heightening tensions.

The timing of this threat is significant, coinciding with the diplomatic dispute between India and Canada, after Canada accused India of targeting Khalistani elements, including the assassination of another terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In November 2023, Pannun released a video stating that Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport would be renamed and shut down on November 19, warning against flying Air India on that day. The National Investigation Agency charged him with conspiracy, promoting enmity between groups on religious grounds, and under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Last December, Pannun threatened to attack Parliament before or on December 13, which marks the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terrorist attack. He also made threats to assassinate Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Punjab’s Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav on Republic Day, encouraging gangsters to unite and carry out the attack.

Pannun was designated a terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs in July 2020 on charges of sedition and secessionism, as he leads the SFJ, a group advocating for a sovereign Sikh state. A year before this, India banned SFJ, labeling it an “unlawful association” for engaging in anti-national and subversive activities.

In a separate development, on October 17, the U.S. charged a former officer of India’s spy agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), with plotting to assassinate Pannun, a charge New Delhi has dismissed as baseless.

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