US, Canadian authorities apprised of Pannun’s threat: MEA

The Ministry of External Affairs’ spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Thursday reacted to the recent threats made by terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, saying the Canadian and the United States’ authorities had been apprised over the matter. On the killings of Pakistan-based terrorists, Bagchi said India would want those wanted here to “face our legal system”.

“We do take threats seriously. We are caught in a bind here. I don’t want to amplify too much credence to search for extremists who make threats and get a lot of coverage. We have taken up this matter with the US and Canadian authorities. Extremists and terrorists have the tendency to want media coverage on an issue,” he said.

“He is wanted by our agencies for violation of the law and there is a process under which we seek assistance and that they are prosecuted, depending on whether the crime is committed. In our case, I think requests have gone through detailing the kind of crimes that he is responsible for, in India…We have also flagged concerns to our partners regarding any threats made by extremists or terrorists against India or Indian diplomats,” he added.

On the Afghan Embassy issue, Bagchi said,” The Afghan Embassy in New Delhi and the consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad are functional. You can see from the flag who they represent and our position on the condition of entities has not changed. The Afghan diplomats will continue to provide services to the Afghan nationals here.”

The MEA’s remarks come amid reports that the US had apprised India about a plot to kill Pannun. Earlier this week, unidentified assailants killed LeT commander Adnan Ahmed in Karachi. He was shot multiple times despite a security cover provided by the ISI.