In his first public reaction on the issue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday said India will examine US claims that an Indian government official directed Nikhil Gupta to assassinate Khalistani extremist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
In an interview to the Financial Times, the UK daily which first broke the news, PM Modi said, “If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it.
Modi said that “our commitment is to the rule of law” and reiterated, “If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law.”
His response came after US prosecutors charged an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, for allegedly plotting to kill the Khalistani extremist, who has been designated a terrorist by India.
The US indictment claimed that Gupta, currently in the custody of Czech Republic, was being directed by an Indian government employee.
Gupta, described as an international narcotics trafficker, was detained on June 30 “pursuant to the bilateral extradition treaty between the United States and the Czech Republic.”
According to the US attorney’s indictment, “an Indian government employee (“CC-1”), working together with others, including Gupta, in India and elsewhere, directed a plot to assassinate on U.S. soil an attorney and political activist who is a U.S. citizen of Indian origin residing in New York City”
The indictment didn’t name the target and described him as “U.S. citizen of Indian origin who has publicly advocated for the establishment of a sovereign state for Sikhs.”
The US media, however, identified him as Sikhs for Justice founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
In the interview, PM Modi also expressed deep concern over the activities of extremist groups based in foreign countries and said, “These elements, under the guise of freedom of expression, have engaged in intimidation and incited violence.”
The prime minister said a few incidents can’t derails the diplomatic relations between India and the US.
“There is strong bipartisan support for the strengthening of this relationship, which is a clear indicator of a mature and stable partnership.
“Security and counter-terrorism co-operation has been a key component of our partnership,” he added. “I don’t think it is appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries,” he stated.
“The world is interconnected as well as interdependent. This reality compels us to recognise that absolute agreement on all matters cannot be a prerequisite for collaboration,” the prime minister added further.