Indian Punjab would stand with Pakistan ‘like a backbone’ in the event of war: Pannun

“If India attacks Pakistan, it will be the final war for India and Modi. Punjab will be free from Indian occupation,” Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a designated terrorist under UAPA and a controversial pro-Khalistan separatist,  joined in the flurry of warnings directed at India, anticipating retaliation against Pakistan over the Pahalgam terror attack.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, associated with Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), asserted that in the event of war, Indian Punjab would stand with Pakistan “like a backbone”. He urged Pakistan to raise the issue of the Khalistan referendum at the United Nations.

(Mint could not verify the exact words of Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, since SFJ social media accounts are not accessible in India)

Pannun, in a video message also cautioned Sikh soldiers in the Indian Army against joining an anticipated attack on Pakistan orchestrated by Delhi.

“Now is the time to say no to Narendra Modi’s jingoistic war. Do not fight against Pakistan. Pakistan is not your enemy. Pakistan will be and is a friendly country for the Sikh people and for Khalistan. Once we liberate Punjab, Pakistan will be our neighbour,” the pro-Khalistan separatist added, according to a report by Pakistan newspaper, Dawn.

Pannun also claimed that wall chalking had begun in military cantonment areas of Indian Punjab, carrying messages urging Sikh soldiers not to fight against Pakistan, reported The Tribune.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun seemed to echo a statement made by Pakistani senator Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan, who claimed that no Sikh soldier in the Indian Army would attack Pakistan in the event of a war.

Palwasha mentioned that in the Indian army, there are Sikh soldiers who would not attack Pakistan in case of a conflict with India. Palswasha appeared to trigger a long-standing identity crisis that arose from the painful partition of 1947.

“If they are threatening Pakistan, then let them know that the Sikh army will not attack Pakistan because it’s the land of Guru Nanak for them,” she said, referring to the religious significance of the country for Sikhs.

Earlier, the pro-Khalistan group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) had released footage showing “Pakistan-Khalistan Zindabad” slogans and Khalistan flags displayed allegedly near the Army Cantonment in Punjab's Patiala.

(Mint could not verify the authenticity of this claim)

The group’s General Counsel, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, issued a controversial message warning Sikh youths against enlisting in the Indian military, claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s politics could leave them “orphaned”.