CHANDIGARH: Wanted Khalistan Commando Force (KCF) chief Paramjit Singh Panjwar was on Saturday reportedly shot dead by two unidentified gunmen in Pakistan, sources said. They said Panjwar walking near his house in Sunflower Society in Johar Town of Lahore when he was shot dead by two motorbike-borne unidentified persons.
Panjwar’s bodyguard was injured and is under treatment in a local hospital. Panjwar was living in Lahore, but his family (wife and children) relocated to Germany. The Pakistani government has denied the presence of Panjwar in the country. The Punjab militant was on the list of most wanted terrorists being sheltered by Pakistan. The terrorist was the mastermind behind the 1999 blast in Chandigarh’s Sector 34 and was wanted in several cases by the Punjab Police. Panjwar joined the KCF in 1986 and took charge of the terror outfit in the 1990s.
He crossed to Pakistan after the elimination of Labh Singh by the Indian security agencies. He was born in Panjwar village in Taran Taran and before becoming a terrorist, he was working in the Central Cooperative Bank in Sohal (Gurdaspur). Panjwar raised funds through cross-border weapon smuggling and drug trafficking. He was arranging arms training for the youth in Pakistan.
Panjwar was designated as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in July 2020. “Panjwar broadcast separatist programmes on Radio Pakistan, intended to incite the minorities against Indian government. He was also a go-between for smugglers and terrorists. Panjwar’s complicity in promoting drug trade and fake Indian currency operation in Punjab are well documented,’’ according to an MHA notification.