Pannun furious as US trucking crackdown hits Khalistan supporters

October 12, 2025

A new set of trucking regulations in the United States has triggered anger among Khalistan supporters, with Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun lashing out at American authorities for what he calls “targeted discrimination. “The move comes after a recent truck accident that killed three people, prompting U.S. officials to tighten rules on driver eligibility, licensing, and compliance checks.
According to reports, a section of drivers associated with Khalistan-linked groups has been affected by the new restrictions. While the measures were introduced as part of a nationwide safety initiative, Pannun has attempted to frame the development as a political issue, claiming that “pro-Khalistan Sikh drivers” are being unfairly targeted.

In a recent statement, Pannun said that if these drivers are forced to leave the United States, they would face “second-class citizenship treatment” in India, urging Washington to allow them to continue working in the American trucking sector. His remarks reflect growing frustration within the Khalistan lobby, which has seen increasing pushback from both Indian and Western governments over its extremist links.

Analysts say Pannun’s reaction is part of a familiar pattern using isolated incidents to portray the Khalistan movement as a victim of international bias, that the tightening of laws has nothing to do with religion or ethnicity. Instead, it follows a deadly crash that exposed loopholes in commercial vehicle monitoring, leading to stricter enforcement across all states.

The trucking sector in the U.S. employs thousands of immigrant drivers, including many from the Indian diaspora. But regulators have insisted that all drivers, regardless of origin, must meet safety and licensing standards. Officials have also emphasized that the new measures are purely administrative and not politically motivated.

For Pannun, the timing could not be worse. His group, already facing investigations and deplatforming across multiple countries, is finding fewer allies willing to endorse its rhetoric. By linking a road-safety law to Khalistan politics, Pannun appears to be grasping for relevance in a climate where even Western governments are distancing themselves from separatist narratives.
The U.S. trucking law may have tightened, but the pressure tightening around Pannun’s once-loud campaign appears far stronger.