Strategic Partnership: US-India Cooperation on Pannun Case

Amidst the corridors of Washington, collaborative efforts between the United States and the Indian administration are underway to render those implicated in a conspiracy aimed at extinguishing Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American terrain accountable, as disclosed by the Biden administration.

A native of India, Nikhil Gupta, encountered legal ramifications from federal prosecutors in November of the preceding year for his involvement in a thwarted scheme to liquidate Pannun, who boasts dual citizenship of both the United States and Canada. Allegations from US federal prosecutors assert that Gupta, in collusion with an employee of the Indian government, conspired to remunerate an assassin with a sum of USD 1,00,000 to execute Pannun, who resides within the confines of New York City.

India has, in response, initiated the establishment of an investigative body to scrutinize the aforementioned accusations.

In the midst of a Congressional inquest on Wednesday, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu conveyed to members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, “This is a matter of grave concern, a grave concern that pertains to the relationship between the United States and India. The Department of Justice has asserted that an Indian national, under the direction of an individual associated with the Indian governmental apparatus, endeavored to terminate the life of an American citizen on American soil. Within the purview of the administration, we regard this with utmost gravity and have brought it to the forefront of discussions with India.”

“At present, we are engaged in collaborative efforts with India to compel them to hold accountable those culpable for this atrocious transgression. It is notable that India, in and of itself, has announced the constitution of an investigative panel to delve into this affair, and we urge them to expedite the process with transparency to ensure the dispensation of justice,” Lu affirmed.

Lu provided this response in answer to a query posed by Congressman Dean Phillips from Minnesota, inquiring whether sanctions akin to those imposed on over 500 individuals implicated in the demise of Lexie Navalny in Russia are under contemplation for those implicated in the plot to extinguish Pannun.