The Biden administration “continues to discuss” the deal for high altitude drones that was announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington in 2023, the U.S. Embassy here said, reacting to a report that U.S. lawmakers had placed a hold on the deal, linking it to the Pannun case. According to the report in online news portal The Wire, members of the U.S. Congress have held up the U.S. government’s request for approval ahead of its notification of the deal, which was earlier expected to be a formality, due to their concerns over India’s investigation into the alleged assassination plot against U.S.-Canadian Khalistani separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in May 2023.
“We continue to discuss with U.S. Congress the potential sale consistent with standard processes and policies guiding such arm sales decisions,” a U.S. Embassy spokesperson said on Wednesday, when asked to comment. The response indicates that the Congressional clearance is still a work-in-progress and could come through, but significantly, it didn’t contain a denial of the report that one or more U.S. lawmakers had placed a hold on the sale.
“As part of the standard process, the State Department routinely engages foreign affairs committees prior to formal notification to address questions from committee staff,” a U.S. Embassy spokesperson added.
