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Khalistani separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun reportedly showed solidarity with terrorists who ambushed an Indian Army vehicle on Thursday. According to CNN-News18, Pannun declared a new front to reflect upon his association with terror groups in Jammu and Kashmir.
Pannun reportedly called himself the spokesperson of the Kashmir-Khalistan Referendum Front and said the recent ambush on Indian soldiers was a “consequence of India’s violence against Kashmiris”.
Three soldiers were killed and three other were injured after an Army vehicle was attacked by terrorists in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, news agency PTI had reported on Thursday.
The report added that top Intelligence sources said Pannun’s declaration clarifies his association with designated terror groups of Pakistan who killed Indian soldiers. “Earlier, there were only inputs available about his access to ISI but now, his statement clearly shows his association,” sources were quoted as saying.
Pannun is the chief of the Sikhs for Justice separatist group and was listed as an “individual terrorist” by the Ministry of Home Affairs on July 1, 2020. Pannun, wanted in India on terror charges, holds dual citizenship of the US and Canada.
Last month, Pannun had released a video urging people to avoid travelling aboard Air India flights on November 19. He had also issued threats to attack India’s Parliament in response to an alleged failed murder plot to kill him.
The US had recently alleged an Indian link to an alleged foiled assassination plot against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for the first time, responded to the claims made by the US and said he will “look into” any evidence, adding that “few incidents” would not affect US-India ties.
On December 7, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in Parliament that India has instituted an inquiry committee to look into the inputs received from the US in the case as the matter has a bearing on national security.
Pannun has been under the NIA lens since 2019 when the anti-terror agency registered its first case against him.
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Published: 22 Dec 2023, 03:57 PM IST
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