Threats Against Indian High Commissioner to Ottawa Surface Ahead of Surrey Visit
Surrey, British Columbia – The secessionist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has issued a threat against India’s High Commissioner to Ottawa, Sanjay Kumar Verma, on the eve of his visit to Surrey. The warning comes as Verma prepares to make his first visit to the province of British Columbia since pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s tragic killing in the town on June 18 of the previous year.
High Commissioner Verma’s itinerary includes stops in the provincial capital, Victoria, as well as Vancouver and Surrey. Scheduled to meet with Surrey’s Mayor Brenda Locke and the Surrey Board of Trade, Verma faces the looming threat issued by SFJ.
In an email statement, Gurpatwant Pannun, SFJ’s general counsel, declared that the group plans to “Question-Target” Verma on March 1, accusing India of orchestrating the assassination of Nijjar. Pannun asserted that pro-Khalistan Sikhs will take the opportunity in Surrey to “Challenge-Target-Question” the Indian High Commissioner, coinciding with an organized protest in the town.
Responding to the SFJ’s message, Verma conveyed, “The threat against me has been conveyed to the concerned Canadian authorities, who have assured me of my security.” He pointed out that SFJ is a banned organization under the Unlawful Association Prevention Act of India, emphasizing its efforts to derail the otherwise robust Canada-India bilateral relations.
SFJ claims to be “hiring lawyers to hold Indian diplomats accountable for orchestrating violence against pro-Khalistan Sikhs.” Verma, acknowledging previous targeting by Pannun, remarked, “He has been doing so for quite some time, without any cost put on him by society or the system and by misusing freedom of speech.”
The assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, SFJ’s principal figure in the province, took place in the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara. The incident had severe repercussions on bilateral relations after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cited “credible allegations” of a potential link between Indian agents and the killing on September 18, 2023.
Since the murder, SFJ has run a poster campaign targeting India’s senior-most diplomats in Canada, including High Commissioner Verma. The High Commissioner’s previous visit to Surrey in March last year was marred by protests, leading to the cancellation of a reception appearance organized by the Friends of India & Canada Foundation due to security concerns.
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