Amritsar— Bharatiya Janata Party Punjab spokesperson Prof. Sarchand Singh Khiala has termed US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a 50% tariff on Indian products not merely a commercial decision, but an act of “economic terrorism” designed to bend India’s strong economy. He said Trump’s mindset is not confined to the economic front alone — encouraging anti-India, separatist, Khalistan-supporting elements in the US is the next step in this mission. In this endeavour, his partner is Gurpatwant Pannun of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), who under the guise of the Khalistan referendum is attempting to defame the overseas Sikh community.Prof. Khiala strongly criticized the proposed unauthorized referendum in Washington DC being organized by Pannun and his Khalistan supporters, stating: “The so-called Khalistan referendum holds no meaning for Punjab or the Sikh community.”
Speaking on Pannun’s character, Prof. Khiala said: “Sikhs for Justice claims to be a human rights organization and part of a peaceful struggle — but one may ask, what kind of human rights and peaceful struggle involves issuing threats to assassinate Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on August 15 in Faridkot, threatening to blow up Air India, and intimidating those who do not support their political agenda?”
He further said: “Recently, in Surrey, Canada, Pannun’s illegal act of putting up a ‘Khalistan Embassy’ banner on the building of the oldest Indo-Canadian Senior Center in North America — an institution belonging to the Indian-origin community — did it not embarrass the overseas Sikh community? I want to ask Pannun: by having provocative slogans written on the walls of the oldest Hindu temple in Amritsar, Shivala Bhaiyaan, and targeting Hindu temples, which Sikh principle is he following? By orchestrating attacks on places of worship, he has insulted the core values of Sikhism and exposed his true face.”
Prof. Khiala made it clear that Trump’s economic moves for political gain and Pannun’s conspiracy to create religious and cultural divides are “two wheels of the same chariot” aimed at weakening India. He said: “The Punjabi diaspora, The Panth, Punjab, and the people of India must recognize these designs, unite, and foil these plans — because only when the economy, religion, and culture remain secure can a nation stand strong and unshaken.”