‘Unwarranted, Unsubstantiated Claims’: India on the Washington Post Report Identifying RAW Official in Pannun Assassination Case

In response to the 'The Washington Post' report calling involvement of Indian intelligence in the assassination plot of Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the US, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal has said that the report in question makes 'unwarranted' and 'unsubstantiated' claims.

"The report in question makes unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter. 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. Speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful," said an MEA spokesperson.

MEA on  the Washington Post Report:

Our response to media queries on a story in The Washington Post:https://t.co/ifYYng7CT3pic.twitter.com/LEIso6euN6

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) April 30, 2024

The White House on Monday, refrained from commenting on the FBI probe into the matter and the criminal case filed by the Department of Justice. The Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that India is taking the allegations regarding the assassination plot of Pannun in the US seriously.

This remark comes amid a media report claiming that a RAW official identified as Vikram Yadav was involved in the assassination plot of Pannun on US soil, and the move was approved by then-Indian spy agency chief Samant Goel.

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Pannun is one of the main leaders of the Khalistan movement and the legal advisor and spokesperson for Sikhs for Justice, which aims to promote the idea of a separate Sikh state. The Indian government has declared Pannun a terrorist.

Jean-Pierre, responding to questions about the Washington Post report, said an investigation is underway, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) is conducting a criminal investigation. "So anything specific to that, I would have to refer you to the DOJ," she said.

The White House press secretary further said that India is an important strategic partner of the US and that "we are pursuing an ambitious agenda to expand our cooperation in several areas."

Regarding the investigative report on the alleged assassination plot, Jean-Pierre said, "We've 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're 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 kill Pannun in the US coincided with the June 18 fatal shooting of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey in Canada's British Columbia province in June last year. That operation was also linked to Yadav, according to Western officials.

Both plots took place amid a wave of violence in Pakistan, where at least 11 Sikh or Kashmiri separatists living in exile and labelled terrorists by the Narendra Modi government have been killed over the past two years, the report said.