Pannun murder attempt: After US, MEA responds to report on RAW official involvement, calls it unwarranted

Soon after name and other details of the RAW official who was allegedly involved in the assassination plot of Pannun were out in a report, the White House claimed that India is taking the allegations regarding the assassination plot of Khalistan separatist leader in the US seriously. However, the White House refrained from commenting on the FBI probe into the matter and the criminal case filed by the Department of Justice.

The White House press secretary asserted that India is an important strategic partner of the United States and "we are pursuing an ambitious agenda to expand our cooperation in several areas".

About the investigative report on alleged the assassination plot, Jean-Pierre said, "We've been really consistent about that and have laid that out multiple times, whether it's a meeting here with the prime minister or a meeting abroad."


"This is a serious matter and we're taking that very very seriously. The Government of India has been very clear with us that they are taking this seriously and will investigate," Jean-Pierre said.

"We expect accountability from the government based on that. But we are going to continue to raise our concerns. That's not going to stop. We're going to continue to raise our concerns directly, with the Indian government," the press secretary added.

The alleged plot to kill Pannun in the US coincided with the June 18 fatal shooting of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey in Canada's British Columbia province in June last year. That operation was also linked to Yadav, according to Western officials.

Both plots took place amid a wave of violence in Pakistan, where at least 11 Sikh or Kashmiri separatists living in exile and labelled terrorists by the Narendra Modi government have been killed over the past two years, the report said.

India's response to media reports:
In response to media queries on a story in The Washington Post, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of MEA said: "The report in question makes unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter. There is an ongoing investigation of the High Level Committee set up by the Government of India to look into the security concerns shared by the US government on networks of organised criminals, terrorists and others. Speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful."

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on April 1 had said that India's national security interests are involved in its investigation into the alleged involvement of a government official in the assassination plot aimed at Khalistani extremist Pannun.

Pannun is one of the main 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 has declared Pannun a terrorist.

(with agency inputs)