Days after reiterating its stance on seeking accountability from the Indian government, the United States on Monday stated that it will await the results of the Indian investigations in connection with a plot to assassinate Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York. ‘They (Indian government) opened a committee of inquiry to look into the matter, and that work is ongoing; we’ll wait to see the results,’ said US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller, responding to a question on the allegations that Indian government officials were involved in a plot to assassinate Pannun. Miller emphasized that the US had made it ‘very clear’ that it takes the matter seriously and expects India to do the same. ‘We think they, too, should take this seriously,’ Miller was quoted as saying. ‘I would refer you to the Canadian authorities to speak to the details of the investigation there. With respect to the indictment that was returned in the United States, I will let the Department of Justice speak on behalf of that in detail,’ he told reporters. ‘When it comes to the State Department, we had made it clear right when these allegations were first made public that it’s something we think India should take very seriously and investigate,’ Miller added. Recently, a report in The New York Times had named Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officials as being allegedly involved in the plot to kill Pannun. However, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal rejected the claims made in the report and termed it an ‘unwarranted and unsubstantiated’ imputation on a ‘serious matter’ that is under investigation. Jaiswal characterized the report as ‘speculative and irresponsible’. He stated that a high-level inquiry committee set up by New Delhi to examine inputs provided by the US on the alleged plot was still probing the case. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is an India-designated terrorist who holds American and Canadian citizenship.
US Awaits Results of Indian Investigations into Pannun Assassination Plot
