• Does Mr Pannun have reason to be unhappy with Govt of India? Nature of gains if Indo US ties worsen. How did U.S. become United States of America? Which regions of Mexico became part of the U.S.?

You have to grant it to Mr Pannun. He has a knack of staying in the news.  A December 6 Times of India report reads, “Will shake foundations of Parliament': Gurpreet Singh Pannun vows response to 'bid on life'.” He has promised to attack Parliament on or before December 13 which is the anniversary of the 2001 attack on Parliament. The U.S. recently claimed to have thwarted a big on Panun’s life (a U.S. and Canadian citizen). An Indian origin drug trafficker Mr. Gupta was recently arrested at the Prague airport and deported to the U.S.

Mr Panun hit the headlines earlier when on November 4, 2023 he asked Indians not to board Air India after November 19 (remember the Air India bombing 1985). After Nijjar’s killing he had carried out a series of online campaigns against Indian diplomats in North America, U.K. and New Zealand. In 2016 he ran a campaign against the Aam Aadmi Party accusing it of getting funding from Canada based NRIs. 

His Sikhs for Justice is in memory of the 1984 Congress sponsored riots against the Sikhs after two Sikh bodyguards assassinated former Prime Minister Mrs Indira Gandhi.  Not a tear for the “21,532 persons (Hindus and Sikhs) killed between 1981 and 1995 in connection with Khalistani terror” as written by Ajai Sahni in the Tribune Chandigarh (Ajai is Executive Director, Institute for Conflict Management New Delhi.)

He is said to be a New York based attorney. Mr Pannun seems well connected. He was interviewed by Time magazine in November 2023.

One would think Mr Pannun would protest against the Congress government but this BJP government has done lots for the Sikh community for e.g. enabling opening of Kartarpur corridor in 2019 and declaring December 26 as Veer Bal Diwas. On 1984 Congress violence, a SIT was set up and after 33 years culprits were given life imprisonment. Outlook  In an interview with ANI, J S Thekedar (founder of Dal Khalsa and pro-Khalistan leader) said, “Our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has done a lot for Sikhs and Sikhism. He loves our community. He has done a lot -- ended the blacklists etc.).” Business Standard

Something is not connecting.

When viewed in a larger geopolitical perspective it appears that the deeper intent is to keep North India on the boil, reduce agricultural output in Punjab (state already facing depleting ground-water problem), create a fissure in Indo-USA relations, get India to support the U.S. world view, reduce arm sales of high technology products to India and get India to stop promoting dealing in local currencies etc.

Who shall benefit if there is a setback in Indo-US ties is for the reader to judge?

This article is not about Pannun as much as it is about the U.S. approach.

Now suppose if an Indian citizen of U.S. origin say David Kennedy, based in say Chandigarh, openly spoke about secession of some U.S. states like Texas or threatened to bomb United Airlines and U.S. diplomats in India, what would the U.S. government expect India to do?

Trigging secession might be possible because U.S. territory includes territory that was acquired. To understand this I am sharing excerpts from an earlier article which tells how the U.S. became the United States of America?

1. The United States emerged from the Thirteen British Colonies established along the East Coast. Disputes with Great Britain representation led to the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), which established the nation's independence. Source Land acquired from France by the Louisiana Purchase (1803) nearly doubled the country’s territory. 

2. U.S. bought Florida east and west from Spain, annexed Texas in 1845, acquired Oregon Territory from Britain in 1846,  Mexican Cession purchased from Mexico following military victory in 1848, Gadsden purchased from Mexico in 1853, Alaska purchased from Russia in 1867, Annexation of Hawaiian Islands in 1898 and Midway Islands in 1867 and so on. Source

Also read  Annexation of Texas  And Annexation of Hawai 1898

3. 10 U.S. States that were once part of Mexcio Source 

California was under Mexican rule from 1821, when Mexico gained its independence from Spain, until 1848. Nevada and New Mexico are states that was once under Mexican control. Arizona came under U.S. control in 1848 and didn’t become a state until 1912. Before 1848, Arizona was part of the Mexican state of Sonora. Texas was part of Mexico, from 1821 to 1836. Read more Here

It is not my intent to evaluate the circumstances under which these states became part of the U.S. I am sure that India is not interesting in supporting disgruntled elements in states that were once part of Mexico.

I admire the U.S. for many reasons, including its educational institutions, culture of innovation, technology firms, inventing the internet, highways etc.

It is important for the U.S. to realize that supporting, directly or indirectly, any form of secessionism or violence could come back to haunt it for e.g. September 2011.     

 I must state that am born Punjabi with Nankas in Abohar. Our home temple had a picture of Guru Nanak Dev (Ma’s Nani and Dadi were Sikhs) till Sikh terrorists started killing innocent Hindus. I am also happy to stand corrected on any matter in article. 

Reference

1. Sunday Indian Express

Also read

1. Truth about Sikh alienation in Punjab  

2. What happened during the Khalistani Movement

3. What were the conditions in Punjab on the eve of Operation Bluestar

4. How California Gurudwara cemented the Hindu Sikh divide