In a warning to New Delhi about its ties to a failed plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader, the US raised security concerns. On Wednesday, India’s foreign minister said that India would formally look into these concerns.
The problem comes up at a tough time for both India and the Biden administration. They are trying to get closer to each other while China is rising and is seen as a threat to both democracies.
The White House confirmed that it had warned New Delhi about its role in a failed plan to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a leader of the Sikh separatist movement, just one week before the foreign ministry’s statement.
The ministry said, “India takes such inputs seriously because they also affect our national security interests.” They also promised to “take necessary follow-up action” on the panel’s results, which were reached on November 18.
The first newspaper to write on the failed plot against Pannun in the United States was the Financial Times on November 22.
The White House said that the problem was being taken “very seriously” and that it had been brought up with India at the “highest levels.”
The failed plan and the worries of the US came two months after Canada said it was looking into claims that Indian agents were involved in the killing of another Sikh separatist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in a Vancouver suburb in June.
Ottawa made accusations that New Delhi strongly denied. It said that Ottawa has not yet given India any “specific or relevant” information to look into.
The US began to talk to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government about its worries and other information about the situation as early as April, an Indian official who knows about it but isn’t allowed to talk to the media told Reuters.
The problem was also talked about on November 10 during the so-called 2+2 dialogue in the Indian capital, where Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with their counterparts.
The main topics of those talks were working together on defense and safety issues in the Indo-Pacific area.
Like the Canadian who was killed, Pannun, the target of the foiled plan in the US, has long pushed for Khalistan, an independent Sikh homeland from India. This idea led to a violent uprising in the 1970s and 1980s.
Even though the demand isn’t very important in politics right now, New Delhi is still worried about it.
Indian high commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Verma, told Canadian TV station CTV over the weekend that New Delhi was working with the US because they had given “legally presentable” information.
When asked about what he meant by “belief,” Verma said, “I don’t mean the government of India connections. There are 1.4 billion people, so some of the Indian connections are there.” New Delhi will look into these claims.
He also said that Ottawa had not yet given any details of its claim. “All we want is for you to give us something clear and important to help us move forward.” What should I do next if that’s not there?”
