Washington, DC – There is increasing proof emerging in favor of our earlier report that alarm bells should be ringing in the intelligence community here as a US-based group “Sikhs for Justice” is aligning itself with China. “Sikhs for Justice” earlier wrote to Chinese president Xi Jinping, and promised to visit China in August according to a letter obtained by IAT.
Now, going with a begging bowl to Russian President Vladmir Putin and addressing a letter to him, dated July 6, 2020, and signed by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Legal Advisor and poster boy of the “Sikhs for Justice” group, reads: “We are writing to congratulate the people of Russia in the July 1 referendum on the constitutional amendments.”
“Since Russia has demonstrated unprecedented adherence to the process of Referendum in Crimea, we urge the Government of Russia to take up the issue of Punjab Independence Referendum before the UN Security Council to impress upon India that expressing an opinion through referendum is the fundamental right of the people of Punjab.”
Political pundits, legal experts and defense analysts wondered what will “Sikhs for Justice” provide from the US soil to the Russian and Chinese governments in exchange for their support for the cause propagated by them about secession from India for which there is hardly any support in the Northern Indian state of Punjab.
Eminent attorney and Chair, National Advisory Council on South Asian Affairs, Ravi Batra said, “Gurpatwant Pannun ought get an award for continuing to squeeze media attention, even if unsavory, from a rancid and juice-less lemon: First, losing all lawsuits over Anti-Sikh Riots of 1984, and Second, their unwelcome Punjab Referendum, as apparent unregistered foreign agents who are separatists; happily cavorting with cross-border Terror as reported.”
On Pannun’s efforts to garner support from heads of China and Russia, Batra told IAT: “Chinese President Xi, and Russian President Putin, independently, are used to unworthy folks trying to leech off their head-of-government status, and fraudulently impress others.”
“Assuming that SFJ, given its use of “Justice” in its name, was originally seeking to get justice for those who were innocent victims of the 1984 riots – given India’s continuing attempts to “right” her “wrongs” – is an issue no more for SFJ. Instead, SFJ appears to have morphed into something lost, bad or evil,” Attorney Batra concluded.
There is widespread anger and frustration across the Sikh community against the acts of Pannun led “Sikhs For Justice” as Surinder Singh, Founder of Sikh Community Center in the US state of Maryland told IAT: “Gurpatwant Pannun has made another attempt by writing a letter to Russian President after his miserable failure in a attempt to woo China.”
Without mincing words, Surinder Singh continued, “Pannun has no say in Sikh community. They try to suppress the Sikh sentiments and are always in a threatening mood while dealing with the community.”
On the recent phone calls to the population in Punjab without their consent, Surinder Singh elaborated, “They made phone calls to the innocent people of Punjab who are in trouble now. All those openly came forward against them and publicly burned effigies of Pannun at various villages and places.”
Surinder Singh, a prominent Punjabi journalist based in the US alleged, “From the very beginning their aim is to collect money and enjoy their life. While misguiding the gullible youth, they would neither sit on the discussion table nor raise any real issues for farmers like water, drug addiction and poverty in Punjab.”
Surinder Singh noted that “while playing with the sentiments of innocent Sikhs,” the handful of organizers led by Pannun have only one purpose to collect more money and divert attention from real issues through such letters and making a show on social media platforms.”
Echoing the sentiments of the Sikh community in the US, Sukhi Chahal, Chairman of Punjab Foundation, USA told IAT: “I have been saying since long time that activities and acts of the Sikhs for Justice are indeed anti Sikh, anti Sikhi and consequences could be very hazardous for the whole NRI Sikh diaspora. Their act puts Sikhs of Punjab into avoidable troubles. They had not been loyal to their motherland India and their recent activities clearly indicate that they are not loyal to the USA or Canada.”
Challenging Pannun to clarify his stands, Chahal told IAT: “Pannun always pretends to be a champion of human rights but I would like him to clarify his stand on the human right violations inside China by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP China). He should also clarify his stand regarding China’s human rights abuses of Uyghurs in state-sponsored re-education camps, suppression of Uyghur religious practices and genocide.”
“The Chinese government is implementing draconian measures to severely slash birth rates among the Uyghurs as a means of curbing its Muslim population. This sweeping campaign of limiting births through subjugation, severe rights deprivation and terror joins an ever-increasing list of other heinous abuses designed to bring about this ethno religious minority group’s assimilation into the “Chinese Nation-Race”,” pinpointed Chahal about the alleged ongoing ethnic cleansing in China.
Earlier a letter addressed to Chinese President Xi Jinping, dated June 17, 2020 and signed by Pannun read: “We are writing to condemn India’s violent aggression causing the death of several soldiers of China at the Ladakh border.”
Ironically, four of the 20 Indian soldiers killed in the attack were turbaned Sikhs, and traditionally Sikhs, a fearless warrior community are heavily involved in different parts of the Indian defense organizations having their own battalions like the Sikh Regiment. There have been many Sikhs who have led the Indian Airforce and Army, while Giani Zail Singh, a Sikh was a former President of India. Taranjit Singh Sandhu, the current Indian Ambassador here is a Sikh.
Tejinder Singh
Tejinder Singh was the Founder and Editor of India America Today, and is the inspiration for Global Strat View.
