By: Vibhuti Pathak
The White House has affirmed India’s commitment to thoroughly investigate allegations surrounding the assassination plot of Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the US. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasized India’s seriousness in addressing the matter but refrained from commenting on the ongoing FBI probe or the criminal case filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The remarks come in the wake of an investigative media report implicating a RAW official named Vikram Yadav in the assassination plot, allegedly approved by former Indian spy agency chief Samant Goel. Pannun, a prominent figure in the Khalistan movement and the legal advisor for Sikhs for Justice, was declared a terrorist by the Indian government.
“This is a serious matter, and we are taking it seriously,” Jean-Pierre stated, adding that the Indian government has assured its commitment to a thorough investigation. The killings of both Pannun and Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, Canada, last year were reportedly linked to Yadav, according to Western officials.
The wave of violence in Pakistan following Pannun’s assassination saw the deaths of at least 11 Sikh and Kashmiri separatists, labelled as terrorists by the Indian government. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed the establishment of a high-level committee to investigate information shared by the American side, stressing its impact on national security.
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar underscored India’s national security interests in the investigation, stating, “India’s national security interests are involved in its investigation into the alleged involvement of a government official in the assassination plot aimed at Khalistani extremist Pannun.”
