'Speculative and irresponsible': India slams Washington Post's report on Pannun case
- In Reports
- 12:43 PM, Apr 30, 2024
- Myind Staff
A day after The Washington Post implicated an Indian official in an alleged plot to murder Sikh extremist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, India responded on Tuesday, stating that the report made "unwarranted and unsubstantiated" allegations on a serious matter.
The report claimed that Vikram Yadav, a former officer with India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), hired a hit team to target Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a designated terrorist by India who resides in the United States.
"The report in question makes unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
"There is an ongoing investigation of the high-level committee set up by the Government of India to look into the security concerns shared by the US government on networks of organised criminals, terrorists and others," he said.
Jaiswal was responding to media queries on the report.
"Speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful," Jaiswal said.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a prominent figure in the Khalistan movement, serves as the legal advisor and spokesperson for Sikhs for Justice, an organization advocating for the establishment of a separate Sikh state. The Indian government has designated Gurpatwant Singh Pannun as a terrorist.
On December 7, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in Parliament that India instituted an inquiry committee to look into the inputs received from the US in the case as the matter has a bearing on national security.
The White House, meanwhile, stated on Monday that India is taking the allegations regarding the assassination plot of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun seriously. However, it declined to comment on the FBI investigation into the matter and the criminal case filed by the Department of Justice, according to the news agency PTI.
Replying to questions on the report by The Washington Post, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said an investigation was underway and the Department of Justice (DOJ) was running a criminal investigation.
"So anything specific to that I would have to refer you to the DOJ," Karine Jean-Pierre said.
She asserted that India is an important strategic partner of the United States and “we are pursuing an ambitious agenda to expand our cooperation in several areas”, PTI reported.
About the news report, Jean-Pierre added, “We have been really consistent about that and have laid that out multiple times, whether it's a meeting here with the prime minister or a meeting abroad.”
"This is a serious matter and we are taking that very very seriously. The government of India has been very clear with us that they are taking this seriously and will investigate," Jean-Pierre said.
"We expect accountability from the government based on that. But we are going to continue to raise our concerns. That's not going to stop. We're going to continue to raise our concerns directly, with the Indian government," the press secretary added.
The alleged plot to assassinate Pannun in the US occurred around the same time as the fatal shooting of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, located in Canada's British Columbia province, in June of last year.
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