“We are treating this issue with utmost seriousness, and it has been raised by the U.S. government with the Indian government, including at the senior-most levels,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement Wednesday.
“Indian counterparts expressed surprise and concern,” Watson said. “They stated that activity of this nature was not their policy.” She added that the Indian government is “further investigating this issue” and probably will have more to say about it in the coming days. “We have conveyed our expectation that anyone deemed responsible should be held accountable,” she said.
The thorny geopolitical conversation comes in the wake of disturbingly similar allegations that have threatened to upend Canada-India relations. In September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly accused “agents of the Indian government” of involvement in the slaying of a Sikh separatist, who was a Canadian citizen, in British Columbia.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs called the allegations “unsubstantiated.” Ottawa and Delhi undertook tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions. Canada’s investigation into the slaying continues.
Washington’s warning to Delhi about the plot against Pannun was first reported by the Financial Times on Wednesday. A spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs issued an oblique response, acknowledging that Washington has “shared some inputs” regarding what he referred to as the “nexus between organized criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others.” Spokesman Shri Arindam Bagchi said “India takes such inputs seriously” and that the “necessary follow-up action” is being taken.
In June, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was accorded a high-profile state visit to Washington, with India’s tricolor flags festooning Pennsylvania Avenue. The Biden administration has courted Delhi to deepen relations with a key partner as a regional hedge against China. Biden raised concerns privately to Modi about human rights issues, but not specifically regarding India’s alleged targeting of Sikh separatists in North America, according to people familiar with the matter. The U.S. government’s discovery of the plot against Pannun and its raising of concerns to Delhi came after Modi’s state visit, according to the people familiar with the matter.
Days prior to the visit, India’s defense ministry approved the procurement from the United States of 31 armed MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones. The sale of the General Atomics-produced aircraft, a highly versatile unmanned maritime patrol and reconnaissance vehicle, is worth roughly $3 billion.
The State Department has not formally notified Capitol Hill about the pending sale, but last week it informally advised congressional committees of its intent to move forward, said people familiar with the matter. The sale is undergoing a 30-day review process. Some lawmakers are expected to seek to delay the sale for human rights and other concerns, predating the allegations of targeting of Sikh separatists.
When asked if the new allegations about the Indian government might hinder the sale, a State Department spokesman said the department “does not confirm or comment on proposed defense transfers or sales until they have been formally notified to Congress.”
Gerry Shih in New Delhi contributed to this report.
