Gurpatwant Singh Panun, a dual citizen of Canada and the United States who was the target of an assassination attempt in New York City last year, said the exiled Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, was “a diplomat.” Rather, he is in a position similar to that of a diplomat.” Hypocrite. ”
“What we need to do is destroy the spy network that the Indians have built under the Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Verma,” Panun told CTV News Channel’s Power Play host Vassie Kapelos in an interview broadcast Monday. , to dismantle it.”
“The Indian consulates in Vancouver and Toronto are the hubs of the spy network,” he added. “Until these two consulates are permanently closed, they will continue to carry out assassinations and challenge Canada’s sovereignty.”
Panun was the target of an assassination attempt, which is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice. As part of the case, U.S. authorities recently linked the attempt on Panun’s life to the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia last summer. A portion of the indictment was made public.
Relations between Canada and India have been strained since September 2023, shortly after Nijjar’s murder, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stood up in the House of Commons and said there was a credible suspicion that Indian government officials were involved in the killing. are.
Last week, the RCMP accused Indian government agents of engaging in criminal activity, including extortion and murder, targeting the South Asian community here in Canada.
Verma, India’s high commissioner to Canada, has refused to waive diplomatic immunity for questioning by Canadian law enforcement. He and five other Indian diplomats were then declared persona non grata and expelled.
In an exclusive interview on CTV’s Question Period that aired on Sunday, Verma denied any wrongdoing or involvement in Nijjar’s murder when questioned directly by host Vassie Kapelos.
When asked about Mr. Verma’s claim that the Canadian government had not handed over “a single shred of evidence” to the Indian government, Mr. Panun accused the diplomat of a “deceitful and deceptive response.”
He also said he was confident more evidence would come to light linking his case to Niger’s. Both men are members of the Khalistan movement, which supports the creation of an independent Sikh state in India, elements of which have long been considered extremist by the Indian government.
“I am not afraid of their threats, and I will not stop campaigning for a global Khalistan referendum,” Panun said.
MPs are scheduled to hold an emergency debate in the House of Commons on Monday night on charges of Indian interference in Canadian affairs.
You can watch Pannun’s full interview in the video player at the top of this article.
