Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed a willingness to thoroughly investigate any evidence presented regarding alleged connections between India and a conspiracy to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader in the US. In November, the US charged an Indian individual with plotting the murder of a Sikh leader in New York. Modi, in an interview with the Financial Times, asserted that these allegations would not negatively impact the relationship between India and the US, emphasizing India’s commitment to the rule of law.
This marks the first time Modi has publicly addressed the issue, stating, “If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law.”
The targeted individual, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, holds dual US-Canadian citizenship and supports the Khalistan movement, advocating for a separate Sikh state. US prosecutors allege that Nikhil Gupta paid a hitman $100,000 in cash to assassinate Pannun, purportedly under the direction of an Indian government official. Pannun, designated a terrorist by India, denies the accusation, asserting his role as an activist.
These allegations follow Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s accusations against India regarding the murder of another Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in June. India has vehemently denied these claims and accused Canada of harboring “Khalistani terrorists and extremists” without providing concrete evidence.
The diplomatic tensions between India and Canada have escalated, with India criticizing Ottawa for not sharing substantial evidence. The Indian government has consistently reacted strongly to demands by Sikh separatists in Western countries for Khalistan, a movement that gained prominence in India during the 1980s but has diminished in the country.
Experts suggest that these accusations of extra-judicial killings of Sikh separatists pose a potential threat to India’s growing ties with the US. Nevertheless, Modi expressed confidence in the positive trajectory of the relationship, emphasizing the strong bipartisan support for its enhancement. He dismissed the notion of linking isolated incidents to diplomatic relations and highlighted India’s concerns about the activities of certain extremist groups based overseas.
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