US Issues Warning To India After Thwarting Plot Against Sikh Separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun: Report

According to a Financial Times (FT) article, US officials have foiled a plan to assassinate a Sikh separatist in the nation and have warned India over suspicions that the Indian government was complicit in the operation.

India hasn’t addressed the accusation as of now.

The event occurred two months after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that there were “credible” claims tying Indian operatives to the June suburban Vancouver murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

India has already denied Canada’s accusations.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an American and Canadian citizen, was the intended victim of the conspiracy, according to the Financial Times story. He is the head of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a US-based organization that supports the idea of a distinct Sikh nation known as “Khalistan.”

People with knowledge of the situation claim that the article omitted information about whether the plotters changed their minds after the demonstration in New Delhi or whether the FBI stepped in and thwarted an already-formed operation.

According to a source, an individual with knowledge of the events said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s June visit to Washington prompted the US protest.

In addition to the diplomatic warning, those familiar with the issue said that US federal prosecutors filed a sealed indictment against at least one accused scheme participant in a New York district court.

According to the report, the US Justice Department is debating whether to release the indictment and make the accusations public or to hold off until Canada has completed its inquiry into Nijjar’s death.

According to those with knowledge of the proceedings, one of the defendants in the indictment is thought to have departed the United States, which further complicates the case.

The report said that the FBI and US Justice Department did not respond.

Nonetheless, the National Security Council said that “preserving the safety and security of US citizens is paramount” and that the US “does not comment on ongoing law enforcement matters or private diplomatic discussions with our partners.”

After Trudeau made the specifics of the Vancouver homicide public, Washington disclosed the Pannun case to a larger coalition, the statement said.
According to the FT article, the Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment on the development.

According to FT, Pannun refused to comment on whether or not he had received warnings from US officials about the scheme, stating that he would “let the US government respond to the issue of threats to my life on American soil from the Indian operatives.”

Pannun had told FT, “I believe the Biden administration is more than capable to handle any such challenge. The threat to an American citizen on American soil is a challenge to America’s sovereignty.”

In a video that was made public on November 4th, Pannun threatened the lives of Sikhs if they continued to ride on Air India aircraft on or after that day.