Pro-Khalistani Leader Pannun Confirms Contact with Trudeau Amid India-Canada Tensions

Pro-Khalistani Leader Pannun Confirms Contact: Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the lawyer of the separatist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and a designated terrorist in India, has confessed to being in touch with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office for several years. In an interview with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Pannun revealed that SFJ had been in contact with Trudeau’s office, about alleged Indian espionage networks on Canadian soil.

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Asked about his reaction to recent allegations by Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Commissioner Mike Duheme, Pannun said, “It shows Canada's unwavering commitment to justice, a rule of law. Sikhs for Justice have been communicating with the Prime Minister's Office for the last two to three years, detailing all the spy networks. After years of giving information to the Canadian government, when PM Trudeau came out, that was positive and one step forward for justice.”

Pannun said that the expulsion of Indian diplomats by Canada was merely the beginning. “We feel that the Indian consulates in Vancouver and Toronto need to be permanently shut down. India sending other diplomats to fill their vacancies is not going to dismantle the spy network. This is a direct challenge to Canadian sovereignty.”

Pannun’s admission comes as India-Canada relations are deteriorating.

On Monday, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said Indian government agents were involved in violence in Canada, including murder, extortion, intimidation and coercion. Duheme said Indian diplomats and consular officials were part of these violent acts targeting the South Asian community, particularly pro-Khalistani activists. RCMP also linked Indian government to Bishnoi gang, a criminal group that is targeting certain groups in Canada.

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India has denied these allegations outright, with officials in New Delhi rejecting Canadian attempts to link Indian agents to criminal gangs. Indian sources also dismissed claims that Canada shared evidence on the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader and Canadian citizen, who was killed in Vancouver in June 2023. India called the accusations "ridiculous".

Trudeau testified before a parliamentary committee on Wednesday and said Canada had "clear evidence" that India had breached its sovereignty. But he admitted it was based on intelligence and not "hard facts".

MEA said on Thursday what they have heard only confirms what India has been saying all along that Canada has not presented any evidence.

"What we have heard today only confirms what we have been saying consistently all along -- Canada has presented us no evidence whatsoever in support of the serious allegations that it has chosen to level against India and Indian diplomats," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.

"The responsibility for the damage that this cavalier behaviour has caused to India-Canada relations lies with Prime Minister Trudeau alone," it added.

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