Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an infamous Khalistani terrorist who has dual citizenship of the United States and Canada, has become the latest favourite of propaganda news portals like The Wire. Despite being designated as a terrorist by the Government of India, Pannun enjoys the label of being a Sikh activist, thanks to The Wire. The news portal, which is known for some of the biggest blunders in journalism’s history, including the “Meta-Wire Saga” and the fake reporting on “Tek Fog,” insists that the Khalistani terrorist, who day in and day out threatens India and Hindus, is an ‘activist.’
OpIndia examined multiple reports published by The Wire regarding the activities of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and noticed that they have developed a love-like attitude towards the terrorist. The Wire’s reporters attempt to water down Pannun’s crimes by merely calling him an activist who, well, only wants to create a separate nation by breaking India—nothing big, right? The phenomenon was mentioned by several social media users on X. Vijay Patel, an investigative reporter, shared a screenshot of The Wire’s report and wrote, “So, according to the Wire, terrorist Pannun is an ‘activist.’ You must not be surprised because Siddharth Varadrajan, the owner of this propaganda website, is a US citizen, and her mother-in-law, Puspa Sunder, was an officer with the CIA-affiliated Ford Foundation.”
So, according to the Wire, terrorist Pannun is an ‘activist.’
— Vijay Patel🇮🇳 (@vijaygajera) October 18, 2024
You must not be surprised because Siddharth Varadrajan, the owner of this propaganda website, is a US citizen, and her mother-in-law, Puspa Sunder, was an officer with the CIA-affiliated Ford Foundation. pic.twitter.com/MM4MQ0oPKJ
Famous X user BefittingFacts wrote, “According to The Wire, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun who just threatened to blow up Air India flights is ‘Sikh Activist’.”
According to The Wire, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun who just threatened to blow up Air India flights is 'Sikh Activist'.@PIB_India @GoI_MeitY pic.twitter.com/UWOeFm7uQK
— Facts (@BefittingFacts) October 21, 2024
Interestingly, when we checked the said report, “activist” magically became “separatist”. Only The Wire can explain how and why this magic happened.
Here are a few of such reports by The Wire, where Pannun became a beloved Sikh/Khalistani activist, US Citizen and what not.
On 1st May, an op-ed written by Siddharth Varadarajan described India as “banana republic”. In the same op-ed, he described Pannun as “Khalistani campaigner Gurpatwant Singh Pannun”.
On 17th June 2024, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun was described as a “Sikh Lawyer” in a report by The Wire.
In a post on X on 30th November 2023, Pannun was called a “Khalistani Activist”.
When we checked the report, he was mentioned as a “US citizen who runs a pro-Khalistani organisation” and his “organisation” that is “Sikhs for Justice” was called an “NGO in the US”. Pannun is a designated terrorist and SFJ is a terrorist organisation. But, anyway.
In the same report, Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was a Canadian, was described as a “Khalistani Activist”.
We found multiple reports where he was being mentioned as a pro-Khalistan activist that can be checked here and here. In one of the reports, that can be checked here, he was called an “American National”. In the same report, Pannun and Nijjar were also mentioned as pro-Khalistan activists.
Interestingly, The Wire is not the only news portal that is in “love” with Pannun. In an 18th October report, Al Jazeera referred to Pannun as an “American Citizen” and “Sikh American activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.”
In a 22nd December 2023 report, the BBC called him an “American Citizen who advocates for Khalistan.” The report did mention that he has been designated a terrorist by India, but it seemed more like a taunt rather than taking India’s stance seriously. The report stated, “Delhi has made no bones about its dislike for the Sikh separatist—a man they designated a terrorist in 2020.”
Romanticising terrorism needs to stop
It is both disturbing and revealing that news portals like The Wire, BBC, and Al Jazeera have categorically failed to call Gurpatwant Singh Pannun a terrorist, which is an undeniable fact. Pannun has been involved in many anti-India activities, including threatening India and Hindus. He has played a vital role in the current Khalistani movement. His so-called referendum, where he is seeking votes to carve out Khalistan from India, is not a benign political campaign. It is part of a broader strategy of violence and secession. He often propagates violence against India and provokes young Sikhs to engage in violent activities against Indian officials, both in India and abroad.
Yet, despite his designation as a terrorist by the Government of India, these portals continue to soften his image and refer to him as an “activist,” “campaigner,” and even just a “Sikh lawyer.” This is a deliberate attempt to water down Pannun’s violent agenda, which cannot be considered merely journalistic negligence. It is, in fact, an alarming example of how propaganda-driven news can be used to distort public perception.
The Wire and other portals have failed to report Pannun’s history of extremism accurately and often dilute it. These media outlets are providing him with a shield and legitimising his dangerous activities in the eyes of their readers. The Wire, in particular, has repeatedly referred to him in softened terms and brushed aside his terrorist designation with vanilla words. Framing him as a mere “pro-Khalistani activist” does not do justice to his numerous threats directed at India, Indian officials, and Hindus. In doing so, they ignore the very real threats he has issued against Indian institutions and citizens.
Al Jazeera and BBC are no different. These are international portals that claim to be journalistic masterpieces. They have the potential to command a global audience. However, in their irresponsible reporting, they downplayed Pannun’s extremist role, referring to him merely as a “Sikh American activist” or “campaigner.” While they did mention his terrorist status, it was almost as an afterthought. They framed Pannun’s portrayal as a terrorist as if it were a subjective label placed by the Indian government rather than a legal designation rooted in his long-standing promotion of violence and separatism.
The pattern of these news portals painting a positive picture of terrorists is not limited to Pannun. From Osama Bin Laden to Burhan Wani, for some reason, they find ways to make it “let’s make him a hero for our audience.” Terrorism is a termite mound that is eating this world rapidly. It is high time these portals get their act together and stick to the basics of journalism—that is, present the news without any bias. Romanticising terrorism needs to stop—right here, right now.
