The US Department of State reiterated its dedication on Wednesday to conducting a thorough investigation into the purportedly thwarted assassination plan targeting India-designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. They affirmed that they have communicated this stance clearly to the Indian government.
During the daily press briefing of the US State Department, when asked whether the US had received a report from India regarding its internal investigation into the case, Mathew Miller, the official spokesperson of the US Department of State, declined to disclose any specifics. He emphasized their anticipation of the outcomes of the investigation by the Indian authorities.
“I’m not going to speak to media reports. I will just say that we have made clear to the Government of India that we want to see them conduct a full investigation, and we continue to look forward to the results of that investigation, but I don’t have any updates to offer,” Miller stated.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an India-designated terrorist, holds citizenship in both the United States and Canada. He has made repeated threats against India.
Earlier, in an interview with ANI, Eric Garcetti, the US Ambassador to India, acknowledged the collaboration between India and the United States in the investigation of the alleged thwarted assassination plot against Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
However, he underscored that a ‘red line’ should not be crossed, emphasizing that no government employee from any country should be implicated in an assassination plot against a foreign citizen.
“I think that’s absolutely critical. For any of us, just abstractly, that has to be a red line. No government or government employee can be involved in the alleged assassination of one of your own citizens. That’s just an unacceptable red line,” Garcetti remarked.
Regarding the ongoing investigation into the alleged plot to assassinate Pannun, Garcetti highlighted the cooperation between New Delhi and Washington in holding accountable those involved in criminal activities. He emphasized the strength and closeness of the current India-US relationship.
“Any country, having an active member of their government involved in a second country trying to assassinate one of their citizens. That’s, I think, usually a red line for any country. That’s a basic issue of sovereignty. That’s a basic issue of rights,” he added.
In response to the comments made by the US envoy, EAM S Jaishankar stated on April 1 that the case was being investigated based on the provided information.
“The US ambassador, as an ambassador, will say what he thinks is the position of his government. The position of my government is that in this particular case, there has been certain information provided to us that we are investigating,” Jaishankar said during a press conference in the national capital.
According to the indictment from the US Justice Department, an Indian national named Nikhil Gupta, who is currently in custody, has been charged with the murder-for-hire of Pannun. The US Justice Department alleged that an Indian government employee, unnamed in the indictment, had recruited Gupta to hire a hitman to allegedly assassinate Pannun, a plot which was foiled by US authorities.
The US envoy also commended India for establishing an inquiry commission to examine the matter.