Washington: India is taking seriously allegations of a conspiracy to kill Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannu in America. The White House provided the information but did not comment on the investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the criminal case filed by the Department of Justice in the matter. White House Press Secretary Karen Jean-Pierre’s comments on Monday came amid an investigative report in the media claiming that a US-based RAW officer named Vikram Yadav was involved in the plot to kill Pannu and that the move was the result of Indian espionage. The then head of the agency, Samant Goyal, gave the nod.
Pannu is one of the prominent leaders of the Khalistan movement and is the legal advisor and spokesperson of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). SFJ aims to promote the idea of a separate Sikh nation. The Indian government has declared Pannu a terrorist. When asked about the Washington Post news, Jean-Pierre said an investigation is ongoing and the Justice Department is conducting a criminal investigation.
India has made a strong comment
India on Tuesday reacted strongly to a Washington Post report on an alleged plot to kill Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannu in America. Terming the report as “inappropriate and unsubstantiated”, External Affairs Ministry official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “An inquiry is underway by a high-level committee constituted by the Government of India to look into the security concerns shared by the US government.” Speculation and irresponsible comments on networks of organized criminals, terrorists and others are not helpful.
Karin Jean-Pierre further said that India is an important strategic partner for the US and “we are pursuing an ambitious agenda to increase our cooperation in many areas.” “We have discussed this continuously and expressed our views many times, be it in a meeting here with the Prime Minister or in a meeting abroad,” Jean-Pierre said of the inquiry report into the alleged conspiracy to kill Pannu.
“This is a serious matter and we are taking it very seriously,” he said. The Government of India has clearly told us that they are taking this seriously and will look into it.
“We expect accountability from the government based on the investigation,” he said. But we will continue to raise our concerns. This is not going to stop. We will continue to raise our concerns directly with the Government of India to inform you that the alleged plot to kill Pannu in America was based on the fatal shooting of Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. On June 18 last year. According to Western officials, that campaign was also linked to Yadav.
The Washington Post also reported that both assassination plots were hatched amid rising violence in Pakistan, where at least 11 Sikh or Kashmiri separatists have lived in exile and been declared terrorists by the Indian government in the past two years. “We have constituted a high-level committee,” India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said last week when asked about the probe into the allegations made by the US in the Pannu case. The committee is looking at information shared with us by the US as it affects our national security equally.
,
Tags: Khalistani, Khalistani terrorist, World news
First published: April 30, 2024, 10:06 IST