# Gurpatwant Singh Pannun

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is a Canadian-American lawyer and a socio-religious activist who is one of the main leaders of the Khalistan movement. He is also the legal advisor and spokesperson for Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), which aims to promote the creation of Khalistan as a separate Sikh state.
Designated as a terrorist by the government of India in 2020, in 2023 he was the subject of an attempted assassination, believed to be linked to India by the United States. He has denied the accusations and says he is persecuted for his separatist beliefs.

## Early life and background

Pannun was born and brought up in Khankot village at the outskirts of Amritsar, Punjab, India. He moved to the United States in 1992. As of 2023, he described himself as a dual citizen of the United States and Canada.

## Activities

Pannun has campaigned for a separate Sikh state called Khalistan, organizing events and rallies around the world, including the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. He has also been involved in filing lawsuits against Indian officials and institutions in international courts, alleging human rights violations against Sikhs. He has said that the Modi government wants him dead and that Indian politicians have threatened him and other Sikh separatists in parliament. The Washington Post has described some of these potential threats as credible.
According to the BBC, Pannun has released hundreds of videos censuring India and offering monetary rewards to people who write anti-India graffiti or hoist Khalistan flags on government buildings, or desecrate the Indian flag. In September 2023, he was recorded calling for the "political death" of Prime Minister Modi and two of his ministers. Pannun has also claimed responsibility for posters which read "kill India" along with the names and pictures of Indian diplomats. He has denied that the posters incite violence against the diplomats.
In September 2023, a video surfaced in which Pannun warned Indo-Canadian Hindus to leave Canada, further accusing them of having "repudiated their allegiance to Canada". The video elicited widespread condemnation from Canadian politicians. Federal party leaders, Pierre Poilievre and Jagmeet Singh, along with ministers in the federal cabinet, denounced the video. Canada's Public Safety Minister, Dominic LeBlanc, described the video as "offensive and hateful".
In November 2023, Pannun warned of danger to individuals planning to travel by Air India on 19 November (the date of the 2023 Cricket World Cup finals). Shortly after, Canada's Transport Minister, Pablo Rodriguez and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced an investigation into the incident. Spokesperson Kristin Kelly stated that the RCMP was collaborating with domestic and international partners and "industry stakeholders" in an investigation into "the threat against Air India flights." Pannun stated that his message was about boycotting, not bombing Air India.

## Assassination attempt

In November 2023, the Financial Times (FT) reported that United States authorities had thwarted a plot to kill Pannun in the United States, and that federal prosecutors had filed a sealed indictment against a suspect in a New York district court. The FT also reported that the US had issued a diplomatic warning to India over concerns that the Government of India was involved in the plot. The report came two months after Canada accused Indian agents of being involved in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. A White House spokesperson confirmed the US had informed India about the incident sometime after the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US in June 2023. The Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi stated that the Indian authorities were examining the US inputs. In October 2024, a former Indian intelligence official, Vikash Yadak, was charged by the US with the attempted murder of Pannun. In January 2025, India's Ministry of Home Affairs recommended legal action against an individual allegedly involved in the assassination plot.

## Legal issues

In 2020, Pannun was designated as a terrorist by the Government of India and his agricultural land was attached under Section 51A of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, though he has rejected this charge In October 2022, Interpol rejected India's second request to issue a Red Corner Notice on terror charges against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, on the grounds of insufficient information. International criminal law and human rights lawyer Richard Rogers, who represents Pannun, has accused India of falsifying evidence through the Interpol red-notice system.