India To Discuss Air India Security With Canada In Wake Of Alleged SFJ Threat

India on Monday said that it plans to raise the concerns regarding the threat posed to Air India flights by the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) group with Canada. The country aims to request heightened security measures for these flights from Canadian authorities, as reported by Hindustan Times.

The threat was initially issued by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the legal counsel for SFJ, on a Saturday. In a video message delivered in Punjabi, he warned Sikhs not to fly Air India after November 19, suggesting that their lives might be in danger. Pannun reiterated this message twice and, in conjunction with the video, called for a 'global blockade' of the airline's services from Vancouver to London.

Responding to this threat, Sanjay Kumar Verma, the Indian High Commissioner to Canada, stated that India plans to address the issue with Canadian authorities promptly. He emphasized that the threat issued by Pannun constitutes a clear violation of the Chicago Convention, which establishes the framework for international civil aviation operations. Both Canada and India are signatories to this Convention.

The Chicago Convention, formally known as the Convention on International Civil Aviation, was drafted in 1944 and had 54 nations as signatories. This convention is instrumental in establishing the fundamental principles governing international air transport, as outlined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

It's noteworthy that Air India has previously experienced a terrorist attack in Canada. In what has been described as the worst act of terrorism in Canadian history, an Air India flight was bombed in 1985. On June 23, 1985, Khalistani terrorists targeted Air India flight 182, resulting in the loss of 329 lives.