Calling the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) case against an Indian national working at the behest of a government employee to allegedly target wanted Khalistani separatists a “lethal plot”, a senior U.S. official visiting Delhi stressed on the need for India to investigate and bring those involved to account, the White House said on Tuesday. The official, U.S. Principal Deputy National Security Advisor (NSA) Jonathan Finer is one of a series of American officials who have raised the case with their counterparts in Delhi since the details of a plan to assassinate Sikhs for Justice leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York were reportedly recovered from communications between the Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, and a government official recruiting a hitman who later turned out to be an undercover officer of the U.S. FBI/DEA (Federal Bureau of Investigation/Drug Enforcement Administration).
Mr. Finer met with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra as well as held delegation-level talks with his counterpart Deputy National Security Advisor Vikram Misri. While the Ministry of External Affairs issued a readout on Monday, referring to talks on the India-U.S. Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), the White House readout on Tuesday morning included details of the conversations Mr. Finer had on the Israel-Hamas conflict, the hijacking of a cargo ship in the Red Sea, as well as the Pannun assassination case, where India has instituted a high-level enquiry to investigate the U.S.’ allegations.
“Mr. Finer acknowledged India’s establishment of a Committee of Enquiry to investigate lethal plotting in the United States and the importance of holding accountable anyone found responsible,” the U.S. White House statement said.
