The News Freedom
www.thenewsfreedom.in
New Delhi, November 22
In response to media queries on reports of discussions between India and USA on security matters related to alleged plot to kill Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil, MEA Official Spokesperson,
Arindam Bagchi, on Wednesday said that during the course of recent discussions on India-US security cooperation, the US side shared some inputs pertaining to the nexus between organised criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others. “The inputs are a cause of concern for both countries and they decided to take necessary follow-up action.
On its part, India takes such inputs seriously since it impinges on our own national security interests as well,” he said. Bagchi further said that issues in the context of US inputs are already being examined by relevant departments.
The Financial Times today reports that the US authorities thwarted a conspiracy to assassinate a Sikh separatist on American soil and issued a warning to India’s government over concerns it was involved in the plot, according to multiple people familiar with the case.
“The target of the plot was Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an American and Canadian citizen who is general counsel for Sikhs for Justice, a US-based group that is part of a movement pushing for an independent Sikh state called Khalistan,” the Financial Times reported.
The Financial Times reports further said that the people familiar with the case, who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the intelligence that prompted the warning, did not say whether the protest to New Delhi led the plotters to abandon their plan, or whether the FBI intervened and foiled a scheme already in motion. “One person familiar with the situation said the US protest was issued after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a high-profile state visit to Washington in June,” as per the Financial Times report.