Designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, founder of the banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), has warned Sikhs against flying on Air India after November 19, stating that their "lives may be in danger".
Pannun, in a new video released on Saturday, claimed that Air India would not be allowed to operate on November 19. "We are asking the Sikh people not to fly via Air India. From November 19, there will be a global blockade. Air India won't be allowed to operate. Sikh people, don't travel by Air India after November 19. Your life can be in danger," Pannun was quoted as saying by ANI.
He said that Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport will remain closed on November 19 and its name will be changed. "It is the same day in November on which the final match of the World Terror Cup will be played," he added.
🚨 Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun threatens to Blow-up an Air India flight on 19th Nov: Urges Sikhs to not travel by Air on that date.
— The Tatva (@thetatvaindia) November 4, 2023
A similar #Terroristattack was done on 23 June 1985 which killed 329 when Justin Trudeau's father was the prime minister of… pic.twitter.com/9sERBopklw
"The name of this airport will be Shahid Beant Singh, Shahid Satwant Singh Khalistan airport when Punjab will be liberated," he added.
Pannun is said to be reminiscing the 1985 bombing of Air India flight 182, the Kanishka, by Khalistani terrorists. As many as 329 people died in the blast while two baggage handlers in Tokyo’s Narita airport died from a blast from another bomb on another aeroplane.
Pannun had threatened India with a "Hamas-like attack if India is going to keep occupying Punjab." In the video released last month, Pannun said (PM) Modi learned from the Palestine-Israel conflict. "People under occupation from Punjab to Palestine will react and violence begets violence. If India is going to keep occupying Punjab, there will be a reaction," he added.
After the video went viral, India’s high commissioner to Ottawa, Sanjay Kumar Verma said that the matter will be taken up with the Canadian government. "We shall take up the threat against Air India flights originating from and terminating in Canada, with the concerned Canadian authorities," he told Hindustan Times.
"We have studied the contents of the video, which is in clear violation of the Chicago Convention, which lays out a framework for international civil aviation operations. Canada and India, among many other nations, are Parties to the Convention. The bilateral civil aviation agreement between India and Canada has provisions to tackle such threats," Verma told the news outlet.
