Our Bureau
Washington, DC
The US says it will look forward to the results of the investigation being conducted by India into the alleged plot to kill India-designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Wednesday.
In the press briefing, Miller noted that they have raised the issue with the Indian government and told them that the US expects full investigation into the matter.
Asked about the US State Department’s response after the members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee wrote a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling for a strong diplomatic response on the Indian government’s involvement in the assassination attempt on Pannun, Miller responded, “So, we will respond to those members privately, as we always do. I won’t speak to that here. But as pertains to the other issue, when this issue first arose, we made clear that we had raised it with the Government of India and told them that we expected there to be a full investigation. They have announced that they are conducting an inquiry, and we will look forward to the results of that inquiry.”
Indian national Nikhil Gupta, earlier this month, has been extradited from the Czech Republic to the US to stand trial. The US Justice Department has alleged that Gupta (52) is an associate of the Indian government and that together they and others helped plot the assassination of Pannun in New York City. Pannun is an India-designated terrorist who holds American and Canadian citizenship.
India in November last year formed a high-level inquiry committee to address the security concerns highlighted by the US government. The Ministry of External Affairs said that India takes such inputs seriously since they impinge on national security interests as well, and relevant departments were already examining the issue.
On Wednesday, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said, “We have had a constructive dialogue with India on this topic and I would say that they have been responsive to our concerns. We’ve made clear that we seek accountability from the Government of India and we have consistently asked for updates on the Indian Committee of Inquiry’s investigations. I would just simply say that we raised this issue directly with the Indian government…at the most senior levels between our two sides.”
Campbell said that India is looking carefully at the necessary potential institutional reforms.
