Washington, Aug 17 Pro-Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun's support for US President Donald Trump's increased tariffs on Indian exports and even suggesting a 500 per cent hike aligns with economic harm to the Sikh community and implies that his anti-India theatrics take precedence over Sikh well-being, a report said.
"For a man who claims to champion Sikh rights, backing a policy that directly threatens the lifeblood of Punjab’s hardworking Sikh farmers and dairy workers is nothing short of bewildering. Or worse: hypocritical," the Khalsa Vox report stated.
His support for Trump's tariffs is "not pro-Sikh, pro-Punjab" but a betrayal, it added.
Punjab's economy relies mainly on agriculture and dairy. Its products, including basmati rice, textiles and processed foods, form an important chunk of India’s exports to the US. The tariffs imposed by Trump would make these products expensive in the US markets.
Furthermore, if India opens its agricultural markets due to tariffs, the American dairy and farm giants will enter Indian markets. Supported by heavy subsidies, American dairy and farm giants can undercut small-scale Sikh farmers of Punjab and cooperatives like Amul, according to the report. This does not have an economic impact only, but it also poses a threat to cultural traditions that link Sikh identity to the land and farming.
The report said: "Consider the dairy sector, the quiet backbone of Punjab. Generations of Sikh families rely on it for sustenance and stability. If US dairy giants take over, what happens to these small farmers? The promise of Sikh self-reliance, often invoked by Pannun himself, collapses under the weight of cheap imports."
Exports predict a 40-50 per cent reduction in Indian exports to the US if tariffs increase, and the Sikh community will be impacted the most.
Khalsa Vox, in the report, stated: "Pannun’s position exposes a troubling contradiction. His rhetoric drips with anti-India fervour, but his policy stance aligns squarely with economic harm to Sikhs themselves.
Punjab's future lies in policies that protect farmers, bolster dairy cooperatives, and ensure fair trade and not in political grandstanding that sacrifices livelihoods for personal agendas, it said.
"Pannun’s endorsement of Trump’s tariffs is not pro-Sikh. It is not pro-Punjab. It is, at its core, a betrayal."
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