India’s campaign of state-sponsored persecution against Sikh activists has reached a disturbing new threshold, with a growing international dimension that extends far beyond its borders. What was once an issue confined to India’s internal politics and human rights abuses has now morphed into a global pursuit, targeting Sikh voices advocating justice and self-determination. Recent reports indicate that the UK, Europe and Canada are witnessing the far-reaching influence of India’s intelligence agency, RAW, as it expands its crackdown on Sikhs worldwide. The latest high-profile target in this widening campaign is Parmjit Singh Pamma, a leading activist who has lived under constant threat from Indian agents operating on British soil.
Parmjit Singh Pamma is a name that resonates within the global Sikh community, particularly for his leadership role as the UK and Europe Coordinator for the Khalistan Referendum campaign. For years, Pamma has advocated Sikh self-determination, a cause that has made him a marked man for Indian authorities, who have long viewed such activism as a threat to national unity. What sets Pamma apart, however, is not just his activism but his association with prominent Sikh leaders such as Hardeep Singh Nijjar and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, both of whom have been targeted by India. Nijjar’s assassination in Canada in 2023, widely attributed to Indian state involvement, marks a chilling example of the lengths to which India is willing to go to silence its critics, whether at home or abroad.
India’s persecution of Pamma is no longer confined to clandestine actions within its own borders. MI5, the United Kingdom’s domestic intelligence agency, has been forced to intervene. According to MI5’s assessments, Pamma faces an “imminent danger” to his life from operatives of India’s RAW operating within the UK. Since early 2026, MI5 has visited Pamma multiple times, warning him of credible threats, urging him to take security precautions and advising him to remain vigilant. Such interventions by MI5 are rare and underscore the gravity of the situation. They confirm that India’s intelligence apparatus is willing to track and intimidate its critics even in foreign countries.
Parmjit Singh Pamma’s personal history is marked by sacrifice, suffering and resilience. Born in India, his activism began long before he sought asylum in the UK. In the late 1990s, as India intensified its crackdown on Sikh activists and leaders calling for Khalistan, Pamma and his family were subjected to state repression. Arrests, torture and the deaths of family members became hallmarks of his life in India, compelling him to flee and seek asylum in the UK in 2000. Despite building a new life in Britain, India’s hostility towards him remained unchanged.
In 2015, Samant Goel, who would later become the head of RAW, directly approached Pamma, urging him to abandon his advocacy for Khalistan. When Pamma refused, India escalated its efforts against him. That same year, he was detained in Portugal at India’s request, but Portuguese courts dismissed the charges as baseless, reinforcing the view that the Indian state was using extrajudicial measures to suppress its critics globally.
Despite this legal victory, the threats against Pamma grew increasingly menacing. As his advocacy for the Khalistan Referendum campaign gained international traction, the Indian government intensified its pursuit. MI5’s warnings to Pamma have therefore come as little surprise to those familiar with India’s history of extrajudicial actions against dissidents.
The situation surrounding Parmjit Singh Pamma is emblematic of a broader pattern of transnational repression by the Indian government. According to the UK’s 2024–25 Transnational Repression Report, India has emerged as a leading actor in targeting political dissidents abroad, with foreign-state threat investigations rising by 48 per cent since 2022. MI5 has identified RAW’s role in these operations, noting that Indian intelligence agents have been operating in the UK and Europe to intimidate, threaten and, in some cases, eliminate Sikh activists.
Pamma is not alone in facing such threats. Other prominent Sikh activists in the UK, including Gurcharan Singh, have received similar warnings from MI5. The rise in foreign-state repression targeting Indian dissidents has become a key concern for UK authorities, particularly as relations between the two countries have deepened. This concern is heightened by India’s growing strategic importance in the global balance of power, especially in relation to China.
However, this expanding cooperation between the UK and India must be balanced against growing awareness of the human rights abuses faced by Indian minorities, particularly Sikhs, Muslims and Christians, both within and outside India. While the UK seeks closer ties with India, especially to counter Chinese influence, it cannot ignore the increasingly aggressive actions of the Indian state against its critics abroad.
India’s expanding campaign against Sikh activists has rippled across multiple continents, with the global Sikh diaspora bearing the brunt of this repression. Canada, the UK and several European countries have seen a surge in surveillance, intimidation and harassment of Sikhs advocating the Khalistan cause. The assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada stands as a stark reminder that no Sikh activist is entirely safe, even in countries that have traditionally served as havens for political refugees.
The international community, including governments and human rights organisations, has a critical role to play in safeguarding the rights of Sikh activists. Reports from organisations such as the US-based Genocide Watch have raised alarms about the deteriorating situation for Sikhs in India, warning that the state’s actions may be precursors to larger-scale violence. The case of Parmjit Singh Pamma is just one example of how the Indian government’s attempts to silence its critics are not constrained by geography.
India’s actions against Sikh activists abroad raise serious questions about the broader implications of state-sponsored terror. The use of covert intelligence operations, including surveillance, harassment and physical violence, beyond its borders constitutes a violation of international human rights norms. Indian intelligence agencies such as RAW have played a central role in these operations, underscoring that India’s approach to its minority communities, particularly Sikhs, is rooted in a policy of repression that extends to its overseas diaspora.
In the case of Parmjit Singh Pamma, the UK’s response has appeared hesitant, despite MI5’s warnings and the growing body of evidence documenting India’s transnational repression. This reflects a wider pattern of international reluctance to confront state-sponsored terror. As India continues to expand its global reach, it is essential that international actors hold the Indian government accountable for its actions.
