New Delhi: While India is still scrutinising the US’s “inputs” regarding the plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar claimed that Canada had not shared “substantive” evidence and therefore, there was no similar response.
On November 29, US federal prosecutors have accused Nikhil Gupta of collaborating with an Indian government official in a thwarted scheme to assassinate Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual citizen of the US and Canada. India had said that it was taking the matter seriously and had constituted a high-level committee of enquiry.
Two months earlier, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on the floor of the parliament that there were “potential” links of involvement of Indian government agents in the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil in June. It triggered an angry reaction from India, resulting in recall of 41 Canadian diplomats and stopping of visa services for Canadian nationals, which has since been resumed.
“Insofar as the US is concerned, certain inputs were given to us as part of our security cooperation with the United States. Those inputs were of concern to us because they [were] related to the nexus of organised crime, trafficking and other matters,” he said in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
He mentioned that due to the inputs’ impact on national security, a decision had been made to constitute an inquiry committee.
The US indictment filed in a New York court had also linked the unnamed Indian government official to the killing of Nijjar in Canada.
When asked why India had not made similar response to Canadian charges, Jaishankar said, “Insofar as Canada is concerned, no specific evidence or inputs were provided to us. So the question of equitable treatment to two countries, one of whom has provided input and one of whom has not, does not arise.”
At the weekly briefing on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that the upcoming visit of the director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, Christopher Wray, had been planned for the last few months.
“As you are aware, we have robust security, cyber security, counter-terrorism and counter-narcotics cooperation with the US agencies, we also engage in capacity building programs. So as part of this ongoing bilateral cooperation, visit by the FBI director is in the works, is being held, but let them confirm the exact things. Details of this visit have been worked out with the US side over the course of the last few months and as I said I wouldn’t like to confirm the specific timeline for that, that I would leave to the US,” he said.
To another question whether Pannun case will be discussed during Wray’s trip, he said, “This is part of the ongoing dialogue process. I don’t have a crystal ball, so I am not going to guess into what may or may not be discussed.”
He also said that India had taken up recent threats made by Pannun against India with both the US and Canada.
“In the specific case, yes on the Parliament, we are caught in a bind here. I don’t want to amplify or give too much of credence to such extremists who make threats and get a lot of coverage. But on the other hand we take this seriously, in this particular case I know that we have taken up this matter with the US and Canadian authorities about this threat, but as I said, extremists and terrorists have a tendency of wanting media coverage on the issue, and I wouldn’t like to dignify them that way,” he said.