WASHINGTON: US-based leaders of the Khalistan Movement have raised concerns about Vice President J.D. Vance’s visit to India. They urged him to confront Indian authorities over alleged threats against Sikh activists living in the United States.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who leads the advocacy group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and plays a key role in the Khalistan movement, sent a letter to the Vice President. In it, he claimed that a close aide of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered $250,000 to fund his assassination. Pannun asked the Vice President to raise this matter with Indian officials and declare it an act of state-sponsored terrorism.
He pointed out that he holds US citizenship and insisted that American courts must try any plot against him under US law. He called on the US government to enforce its laws and protect its citizens from foreign threats.
The Khalistan movement promotes the idea of creating an independent Sikh homeland in India’s Punjab. While support for the movement has declined inside India, Sikh communities in countries like the US, Canada and the UK continue to advocate for it.
India has designated Pannun as a terrorist, but he has denied involvement in any violence. His organization, SFJ, pushes for a peaceful referendum among Sikhs on the creation of Khalistan. The Indian government has banned SFJ, accusing it of promoting separatism and unrest.
The incident has added to growing diplomatic strain after several Western countries, including the US, accused India of plotting attacks against Sikh separatists abroad. In late 2023, US prosecutors charged an Indian national with planning to assassinate Pannun in New York.
Mr Pannun expressed hope that a future Trump administration would continue to protect the rights of Khalistan supporters and allow them to express their views freely under American law.
