Ottawa: The FBI has warned Khalistan separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of an imminent threat to his life, prompting an investigation into the latest threat against the prominent Sikh activist, according to Pannun and his organization.
Pannun, the general counsel of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), told CBS News that FBI agents visited his New York City home earlier in the day to warn him of what he described as an “imminent threat to my life.”
According to Pannun, the agents said they were investigating several leads and that the threat was linked to his possible travel to Canada to participate in a planned Khalistan referendum. However, they did not provide further details.
Pannun holds dual American and Canadian citizenship and has been a vocal critic of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Security Warnings Ahead of Edmonton Referendum
The latest warning comes ahead of an October 18 referendum organized by SFJ in Edmonton, Alberta, where Sikh voters will be asked whether Punjab, a state in northern India, should become an independent country under the name Khalistan.
In a statement, Pannun said the central question was not whether he would survive another alleged assassination plot, but whether threats against his life could prevent Sikh people from exercising their right to self-determination.
“It cannot,” he said.
According to Pannun, Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had also warned him in recent weeks about death threats and potential security risks involving his residence in Ontario.
Read More: Gurpatwant Singh Pannun signals armed struggle against India
The warnings come amid renewed diplomatic engagement between Canada and India. On October 13, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed their commitment to advancing a comprehensive economic partnership agreement and strengthening bilateral security cooperation.
Pannun Questions Canada’s Engagement with India
Pannun questioned Canada’s efforts to expand trade and security cooperation with India while Sikh separatist organizers were reportedly receiving warnings about threats to their lives and homes.
He called on the Canadian government to clarify whether India had stopped assassination operations in Canada or whether Ottawa had changed its approach to addressing such threats.
Reacting to the FBI warning, Pannun reiterated his commitment to the Khalistan movement, saying: “Punjab’s independence or death, nothing in between.”
He acknowledged that Indian authorities might succeed in killing him before he witnessed the establishment of Khalistan, but said he remained determined that future generations of Sikhs would live in an independent Punjab.
SFJ has maintained that the Edmonton referendum will proceed as scheduled on October 18 despite the reported threats against its organizers.
Previous Assassination Plot
Pannun was previously the target of an assassination plot in the United States in 2023. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta and former Indian intelligence officer Vikash Yadav in connection with the conspiracy.
The plot against Pannun emerged around the same time that Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another prominent Sikh separatist and a friend of Pannun, was shot dead outside his gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023.
In September 2023, Canadian officials said they had evidence linking Nijjar’s killing to agents of the Indian government.