A top US intelligence official has said that US agencies have foiled a plot to kill a separatist Sikh leader in the US and warned India of possible Indian government involvement in the plot. Is.
In its reaction to this news, India has said that it “takes the information of the United States very seriously” in matters of security.
The British newspaper “Financial Times” published news on Wednesday with reference to various parts of the United States that the United States has foiled a conspiracy to kill Sikh separatist leader Guru Patwant Singh Panon in the United States.
The US has issued a warning to India in view of the possible involvement of the Indian government in this matter.
India’s foreign ministry spokesman Arndam Choudhary admitted in a statement that the United States had “provided us with some information related to organized criminals, arms smugglers and terrorist organizations.”
We take such security-related information very seriously. Necessary steps are being taken in this regard. The relevant institutions are investigating the information given by the United States.
US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrian Whitson said in a statement on Wednesday: “We are taking this matter very seriously.” This issue has been raised by the US government at the highest level with the Indian government.
The Washington Post reported that Adrian said that ‘when Indian officials were informed about it, they expressed surprise and concern and said that such activities are not part of their policy. ‘
He added that the Indian government is investigating the matter and may say more about it in the coming days.
“We have told India that we expect action to be taken against those involved in this failed assassination plot,” Adrian said.
Apart from issuing a diplomatic warning to India, US federal investigators have filed a case against at least one suspect in a sealed envelope in New York District Court, the Financial Times reported.
The US Department of Justice declined to comment on who the case was filed against.
According to senior US officials, there was a conspiracy to kill Sikh separatist leader Guru Patwant Singh Panon in the US. He is a dual citizen of the United States and Canada. Panon heads an organization called ‘Sikhs for Justice’.
He has campaigned for the establishment of a separate state in Indian Punjab. The Indian government declared the organization an illegal organization in view of its extremist activities. A year later in 1920, the government declared Panon an ‘individual terrorist’.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a guest of US President Joe Biden at the White House last June. There are reports that the case of the failed plot to kill Panon has come to light after that. America has expressed its displeasure with India very strongly about this.
Earlier this year, a separatist Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nagar, was shot dead in Vancouver, Canada.
In September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in a statement to Parliament, directly blamed India, saying that there is “credible evidence of India’s involvement in Niger’s murder.” Secret details of the case were provided to Canada by the United States and the United Kingdom.
Canada had demanded that India take action against the alleged perpetrators of the murder, in this regard Canada sent back an Indian diplomat from Ottawa to India.
India not only completely rejected these allegations but also ordered dozens of Canadian diplomats to leave the country in retaliation.
Not only that, India had stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens, which has been reinstated only last Wednesday. India accused Justin Trudeau’s political party of supporting Sikh extremism and anti-India elements to get votes.
However, now when America has accused India of the same nature, India’s attitude is very soft.
Avinash Paliwal, a professor of international affairs at the University of London, tweeted that it will have a profound impact. India launched a covert offensive on American soil. This has never happened before or at least it has not come up.
Sohasni Haider, columnist of the newspaper ‘The Hindu’ writes, “The response of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs in the case of Panon is very meaningful and completely different from the case of Niger.”
India’s security affairs expert Brahm Jilani has said in a tweet, ‘The US-based extremist (Panun) who recently issued a terrorist threat to Air India is being protected by the US intelligence agencies who have identified Trudeau. It also played an important role in accusing India without any evidence.
Renowned analyst Hartosh Singh Bill says that Canada’s case was different that ‘India felt that it could say whatever it wanted to say what it wanted, it could set aside the things that were said and counterattack, but America The case of is different.
The balance of power is different here. The evidence that has been given has to be seen. It has to be considered. As far as I know, discussions have also taken place on the Canadian issue.
“Israel has not carried out such targeted killings in its friendly countries, and even if it did, they were never caught.”
The important aspect is what your perspective is. Are you ready to take enmity from your friends because of these targets and others are so incompetent that you are caught.
Hartosh says that there is no threat of Khalistan movement in India. “There is no place for Khalistan to set foot in Punjab, since the Kisan movement has started, the talk of Khalistan has started.”
“Regarding the targeted killing and its attempts in Canada, America and other countries, its purpose seems to be that India is now a strong country, but it is clear from these new conflicts that this is not a wise policy.”