Russia dismisses US claims on Pannun murder ‘plot’: ‘No evidence…not acceptable'
- In Reports
- 11:50 AM, May 09, 2024
- Myind Staff
On Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry rejected the accusations made by the US against India regarding an alleged failed assassination attempt on pro-Khalistan radical Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, saying that Washington hasn't yet provided credible evidence of Indian citizens' involvement in the case.
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova alleged that the US was trying to “unbalance the internal political situation” in India and “complicate” the ongoing general elections.
“Washington lacks a simple understanding of India's national mentality and history, as America continues to make unfounded accusations about religious freedoms. Washington's actions clearly constitute interference in India's internal affairs…As for speculations, since there is no evidence, it is not acceptable…They are not respecting India as a state,” Zakharova said during an address.
The Russian official further slammed the US for “wrongful accusations” against several other countries.
“Hard to imagine a more repressive regime than Washington in international and national affairs,” she added.
Zakharova's remarks came in response to a media question about Moscow's reaction to allegations against an Indian official of a foiled "assassination" plot, and the American news publication 'The Washington Post' stating that India is attempting to do the same as Russia and Saudi Arabia against its adversary.
In November last year, US federal prosecutors accused Indian citizen Nikhil Gupta of collaborating with an Indian government official in the foiled plan to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Pannun, who faces terrorism charges in India, holds citizenship in both the US and Canada. He has been designated as a terrorist by the Union Home Ministry under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Last month, The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, named a Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) officer in connection with the alleged plot to kill Pannun. According to the report, the R&AW official - Vikram Yadav - had enlisted a “hit team” to carry out the operation, marking Pannun as a “priority” target.
Following the report, India set up a high-level committee to investigate the allegations.
Earlier this week, the US stated that it is awaiting the results of the investigations conducted by India regarding the matter. “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. But we made it very clear that it’s something that we are taking seriously and we think they, too, should take this seriously,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told the media.
Meanwhile, India, last month, sharply reacted to The Washington Post's report on the alleged assassination plot of Pannun. Randhir Jaiswal, official spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), described the US media report as "speculative and irresponsible" and described it as an "unwarranted and unsubstantiated" imputation on a "serious matter" that is being investigated.
Image source: Reuters
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