New Delhi: Ahead of India’s Independence Day, designated terrorist Gurpatwant Pannun has made a series of provocative statements from Pakistan, calling for disruption of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day ceremony and announcing a cash reward for anyone who prevents the Tricolour from being hoisted.
Speaking at the Lahore Press Club, Pannun reportedly offered $1,000 to anyone who succeeds in stopping Modi from hoisting the national flag on August 15. He also extended Independence Day greetings to Pakistan during the address.
His remarks included calls for the creation of a separate Khalistan and repeated claims aimed at questioning India’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty.
Calls for armed separatist campaign
Pannun also spoke about creating what he described as a “Sikh Homeland Security Defensive Force”, while advocating a campaign for a separate Sikh state.
He claimed that the route to what he termed Kashmir’s liberation would run through Punjab and suggested that the movement could ultimately lead to the breakup of India.
He further floated the idea of Shimla becoming the capital of a proposed “Democratic Republic of Khalistan”. He also referred to Delhi and the Red Fort while making claims about replacing the Indian national flag with a Khalistani flag.
These remarks remain part of Pannun’s separatist rhetoric and have no legal or constitutional standing in India.
Unverified claims about Sikh soldiers
During the address, Pannun also made claims concerning Sikh personnel serving in the Indian armed forces.
He alleged that an appeal had been made to Sikh soldiers not to fight Pakistan during a recent period of tensions between the two countries and claimed that information relating to around 1,800 Sikh soldiers had subsequently been collected.
He further alleged that between 200 and 250 soldiers had faced court-martial proceedings.
There has been no official confirmation cited from the Indian Army or Ministry of Defence supporting these claims.
Targets Christians in another separatist pitch
Pannun’s speech also extended beyond the Khalistan issue. Referring to alleged incidents involving Christians in India around Christmas 2025, he claimed to have approached the US President and demanded a separate entity for Christians in the northeastern states.
He reportedly proposed calling the proposed entity “Trump Land”, referring to the seven northeastern states commonly known as the Seven Sisters.
Allegations against Modi government
The separatist leader also levelled a series of allegations against the Narendra Modi government, accusing it of pursuing what he described as “drug warfare”, “debt warfare” and “demographic warfare” in Punjab.
Among his claims was an allegation that drugs and weapons were being deliberately introduced into Punjab to weaken Sikh youth. He also linked the state’s agrarian crisis and farmer suicides to an alleged government strategy.
Pannun further alleged that Sikh youngsters were being pushed to migrate overseas while people from outside Punjab were being settled in the state.
These allegations were presented as part of his broader separatist narrative, but the claims cited in the speech were not accompanied by independently verified evidence.
Security concerns ahead of August 15
The remarks come days before India’s Independence Day, when security agencies traditionally maintain heightened vigilance around major government installations and public celebrations.
Pannun, who leads the US-based separatist organisation Sikhs for Justice, has repeatedly issued threats and made calls related to the Khalistan campaign. India has designated him a terrorist under its law.
His latest statements are likely to draw attention from Indian security agencies, particularly given the direct reference to disrupting the Prime Minister’s Independence Day ceremony and the call for financial rewards.
