A decade ago this month, lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and his friend Hardeep Singh Nijjar were in Geneva to deliver a petition calling on the United Nations to declare widespread killings of Sikhs in India in 1984 a genocide.

Pannun says the pair had travelled to Sikh temples throughout Canada for years, starting around 2009, to gather support for the effort.

Today, Nijjar is dead, gunned down outside his gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., last June. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says 害羞草研究所渃redible allegations害羞草研究所� have linked Nijjar害羞草研究所檚 killing to India害羞草研究所檚 government.

Pannun, meanwhile, is at the heart of an alleged international plot that U.S. prosecutors say targeted him for assassination and was orchestrated by an Indian government employee.

An indictment unsealed in New York on Wednesday says Indian national Nikhil Gupta, 52, was recruited by the Indian official to arrange the killing. The alleged target isn害羞草研究所檛 named in the document, but has previously been identified by U.S. officials as Pannun.

READ MORE:

For years, Pannun 害羞草研究所� who says he害羞草研究所檚 a dual citizen of Canada and the U.S. 害羞草研究所� has been a thorn in the side of New Delhi, which regards him as a terrorist for his activities in support of an independent Sikh state known as Khalistan.

In turn, the New York-based lawyer is known for fiery social media posts denouncing India害羞草研究所檚 government that have drawn attention from authorities in Canada.

In one recent post Pannun told Sikhs not to fly on Air India on a certain day, a message described by the RCMP as a 害羞草研究所渢hreat,害羞草研究所� although Pannun says it was nothing of the sort.

害羞草研究所淩CMP has every right to investigate a terror threat,害羞草研究所� Pannun said this month. 害羞草研究所淎nd if they consider that calling for boycott of Air India as a civil disobedience 害羞草研究所� is a terror, then so be it, let them investigate.害羞草研究所�

Pannun said in an interview on Wednesday that he moved to the U.S. in 1992 to pursue an undergraduate degree before completing a master害羞草研究所檚 degree in business administration.

害羞草研究所淚 worked on Wall Street for financial firms until 2003,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淚 went back to school to do my law degree in New York from 1999 and I finished it in 2003.害羞草研究所�

He said he applied for Canadian citizenship during law school because it would be 害羞草研究所渧aluable.害羞草研究所�

He wanted to be able to practise law in Canada, but Pannun said he had another motivation in the back of his mind.

害羞草研究所淚f human rights violators are coming, being a Canadian citizen, you have more rights (than) an outsider,害羞草研究所� he said.

In 2004, Pannun said he began spending most of his time in Canada, chiefly in Ontario, until 2018, when the Khalistan referendum campaign was gathering steam. But now he resides in New York.

Pannun said India害羞草研究所檚 government wants him dead because of his work for Sikhs for Justice, pushing the Khalistan referendums on the creation of an independent Sikh state in India害羞草研究所檚 Punjab region.

He said he does not refute the assertion that he is advocating secession 害羞草研究所渂ecause Sikhs are facing existential threat under successive Indian regimes.害羞草研究所�

An Indian government document from 2020 that designates Pannun a terrorist accuses him of 害羞草研究所減roviding financial help to youths 害羞草研究所� for creating violence or fear to disturb peace.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淧annun has been issuing appeals and propagating through social media regularly to Punjab-based gangsters and youth to fight for the cause of independent state of Khalistan, challenging the sovereignty, integrity and security of the country,害羞草研究所� says the Gazette of India, which publishes the government害羞草研究所檚 public notices .

Pannun said the terrorism charge is an effort by India to stop the referendums, but he isn害羞草研究所檛 deterred.

害羞草研究所淚f death is the cost for running the Khalistan referendum, I am willing to pay that price,害羞草研究所� he said in a statement Wednesday.

Pannun said that, for him, the U.S. murder-for-hire charges aren害羞草研究所檛 against Gupta and instead they害羞草研究所檙e an indictment of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He called Modi a 害羞草研究所渉uman rights violator害羞草研究所� with a 害羞草研究所渢rack record of using violence to suppress criticism and dissenting political opinion.害羞草研究所�

Rather than concentrating on threats to his life, Pannun said he害羞草研究所檚 focused on the next referendum vote scheduled to take place in San Francisco, Calif., in January.

害羞草研究所淭hat doesn害羞草研究所檛 mean that I害羞草研究所檓 just careless,害羞草研究所� he added. 害羞草研究所淚 know exactly how to handle this situation, where (the) Indian government wants to kill me.害羞草研究所�

The Canadian Press

READ MORE: