India will address the threat posed by the secessionist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) to Air India flights traveling to and from Canada and will request increased security measures for the airline through Canadian authorities.

The SFJ's counsel, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, conveyed this threat in a video message. Pannun, speaking in Punjabi, cautioned Sikhs, saying, "Avoid flying on Air India after November 19, as your safety may be at risk." This warning was reiterated twice in the video. Pannun, in conjunction with the video, issued a statement calling for a ‘Global blockade’ of the airline’s service, spanning from Vancouver to London.

In a response to a query from India’s high commissioner to Ottawa Sanjay Kumar Verma said, “We shall take up the threat against Air India flights originating from and terminating in Canada, with the Canadian authorities concerned.”

Air India conducts several nonstop flights per week connecting the Canadian cities of Toronto and Vancouver to New Delhi. “We have studied the contents of the video, which is in clear violation of the Chicago Convention, which lays out a framework for international civil aviation operations. Canada and India, among many other nations, are parties to the convention.”

The Convention on International Civil Aviation, more commonly known as the Chicago Convention, was crafted in 1944 by 54 nations and served as the foundation for establishing the fundamental principles governing international air transport, as outlined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

The recent threat directed at Air India draws unsettling parallels to a dark chapter in Canadian history, the most devastating act of terrorism in the country's annals. On June 23, 1985, Khalistani terrorists perpetrated the bombing of Air India flight 182, known as the Kanishka, resulting in the tragic loss of 329 lives. Tragically, the incident extended beyond Canadian borders, with two baggage handlers losing their lives due to an explosion from another bomb on a separate aircraft at Tokyo's Narita airport.

This somber day is still observed in Canada as the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism. Worryingly, extremist factions persist in their veneration of Talwinder Singh Parmar, whom they consider the mastermind behind the attack. In a disconcerting display of support, pro-Khalistan elements organized a rally this past June in his memory at the memorial for the victims of the Air India terror attack in Toronto.

Image source: Hindustan Times