Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has not directly addressed the matter of an apparent
Threat to the life of US-Canadian dual citizen and general counsel of the secessionist group Sikhs for Justice or SFJ, but his office said he raised the issue of upholding “rule of law” when he attended the virtual G20 summit hosted by Indian PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday.
A readout from the Canadian said that Trudeau “highlighted the importance of coordinated G20 leadership and action to uphold the rule of law and international law,” among other matters. Interestingly, the readout did not mention the virtual summit was hosted by Modi.
Earlier, on Wednesday morning, when asked by media in Ottawa to comment on the article in the British publication Financial Times about the alleged threat to the life of Gurpatwant Pannun foiled by American agencies, Trudeau said, “We have been working closely with our allies, including the Americans, since the middle of the summer.”
“Obviously, we continue to engage with India in hopefully constructive ways, and we hope that India will continue to take these real concerns seriously,” he added.
According to FT, it was unclear whether the plot to kill Pannun was abandoned or the “FBI intervened” to thwart it. In a statement, US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said, “We are treating this issue with utmost seriousness, and it has been raised by the US government with the Indian government, including at the senior most levels. Indian counterparts expressed surprise and concern. They stated that activity of this nature was not their policy.”
FT cited an unidentified source as saying the US protested about the matter when Modi visited Washington in June. SFJ’s principal figure in British Columbia, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was killed in Surrey on June 18.
In a statement, Pannun said, “The foiled attempt on my life on American soil by the Indian agents is transnational terrorism which is a threat to the US sovereignty, freedom of speech and democracy, so I will let the U.S. government respond to this threat.”
He accused India of “using mercenaries to kill pro-Khalistan Sikhs.” He said that just as Nijjar’s killing was a challenge to Canada’s sovereignty, this attempt was one for the United States. “I trust that (the Joe) Biden Administration is more than capable to handle any such challenge,” he said.
He added his “focus is not threats to my life but to organize American Phase of Khalistan Referendum which is scheduled to start from San Francisco CA on January 28, 2024.”
Reacting to the FT report, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “During the course of recent discussions on India-US security cooperation, the US side shared some inputs pertaining to nexus between organised criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others. The inputs are a cause of concern for both countries and they decided to take necessary follow-up action.”
While Pannun is deemed a terrorist in India and faces multiple charges, none of them have been tested in either a Canadian or American court. He has denied SFJ uses violence to achieve its objectives.
Nijjar’s killing led to a rupture in relations with India after Trudeau’s statement in the House of Commons on September 18 that there were “credible allegations” of a potential link between his murder and Indian agents. Part of the information that led to that statement came from the US. India had described those allegations as “absurd” and “motivated.”
Canada has sought India’s cooperation in the investigation being conducted by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team or IHIT in BC but India has said it has been provided with no evidence to support Ottawa’s allegations.