News Brief
'Few Incidents Can't Derail India-US Ties': PM Modi On Allegations Of Plot To Assassinate Khalistani Terrorist Pannun
President Joe Biden and PM Narendra Modi at the White House (File Photo)
In his first public statement since the US federal prosecutors alleged involvement of an Indian government employee in a plot to kill American-Canadian citizen and Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (19 December) said that the allegations will be examined.
"If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it," the Prime Minister told the Financial Times.
"If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it," he added.
"Our commitment is to the rule of law," he said.
India had designated Pannun as a terrorist in 2020, and has also repeatedly accused western countries of not taking seriously its security concerns about Sikh separatism, which has a long and bloody history in the country.
He said India was “deeply concerned about the activities of certain extremist groups based overseas”.
“These elements, under the guise of freedom of expression, have engaged in intimidation and incited violence," PM Modi added.
On the impact of charges on India-US relationship, PM Modi emphasised that "a few incidents" could not derail ties between two of the largest economies and most prominent democracies in the world.
“There is strong bipartisan support for the strengthening of this relationship, which is a clear indicator of a mature and stable partnership," PM Modi said.
“Security and counter-terrorism co-operation has been a key component of our partnership,” he said.
“I don’t think it is appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries," he added.
According to US officials, Nikhil Gupta and an Indian government employee, referred to as CC-1, began a sequence of phone and digital communications in May.
The Indian government employee allegedly asked Gupta to arrange a murder, promising in return to help drop a criminal case against Gupta in India.
The US also reported that the two had a face-to-face meeting in Delhi.
In response to the allegations, the Ministry of External Affairs stated, "India takes such inputs seriously, since they impinge on our national security interests as well, and relevant departments are already examining the issue".
India also set up a high-level inquiry committee to look into the issue.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest
