India is taking seriously allegations related to a plot to assassinate US Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the White House said, but would not comment on the FBI investigation into the matter and the criminal case filed by the Justice Department. I restrained myself.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s comments on Monday came amid investigative media reports alleging that a RAW official identified as Vikram Yadav was involved in the plot to assassinate American Pannun and was approved by the then Indian spy agency. Major General Samant Goel.
Pannun is one of the key leaders of the Khalistan movement and the legal advisor and spokesperson for Sikhs for Justice, which aims to promote the idea of a separate Sikh state. The Indian government declared Pannun a terrorist.
In response to questions about the Washington Post’s report, Jean-Pierre said the investigation is ongoing and the Department of Justice (DOJ) is conducting a criminal investigation.
“So, if you have any specifics related to that, you’ll have to contact the DOJ,” she said.
The White House spokesman asserted that India is an important strategic partner of the United States and that “we are pursuing an ambitious agenda to expand cooperation in many areas.”
Regarding the investigation report into the alleged assassination plot, Jean-Pierre said, “We have been really consistent about the content and presented it several times, whether in our meetings with the prime minister here or in our meetings abroad.” “This is a serious issue and we are taking it very seriously. The Indian government has been very clear that it takes this matter seriously and will investigate,” Jean-Pierre said.
“We expect accountability from the government on this basis. However, we will continue to raise our concerns. It won’t stop. We will continue to raise our concerns directly with the Government of India,” the spokesperson added.
The charge of conspiracy to kill Pannun in the United States overlaps with the shooting death of Khalistani terrorist Hardip Singh Nizar on June 18 in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, in June last year. According to Western officials, the operation was also linked to Yadav.
Both plots took place amid violence that has killed at least 11 people in Pakistan over the past two years, including exiled Sikh or Kashmiri separatists and those labeled terrorists by the Narendra Modi government, the report said.
Senior Indian government officials mentioned in the Washington Post report did not respond to requests for comment, the daily said.
But last week, when asked about the probe into the allegations made by the US in the Pannun case, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have constituted a high-level committee. “The committee is also investigating the information shared with us by the U.S. because it equally impacts our national security,” he said. In New Delhi on April 25, Jaiswal said a high-level committee is looking into these aspects and this is the current situation.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on April 1 that India’s national security interests were involved in the probe into the alleged involvement of a government official in an assassination plot targeting Khalistani extremist Pannun.
The Washington Post reported that the Biden administration refrained from indicting Yadav.
