Top US Official On India Visit 'Acknowledges' Panel Formed By Modi Govt To Probe 'Pannun Murder' Plot

A top US official on Monday held meetings with EAM S Jaishankar, NSA Ajit Doval and others and discussed the setting up of a panel by the Indian government to probe the allegations.

Jon Finer, the Principal Deputy National Security Advisor of US President Joe Biden, has taken note of the decision of the Government of India to set up a panel to probe the allegations of an attempt by an Indian official to kill a separatist Sikh leader in the US, stated a White House readout. It said that Finer acknowledged the setting up of a Committee of Enquiry and India's understanding of the importance of holding accountable anyone who is found responsible for the act.

"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 White House said.

"When this alleged incident was brought to our attention, we made very clear at the most senior levels of our government to the most senior levels of the Indian government how seriously we would treat something like this. They have opened an investigation into the matter and we look forward to seeing the results of that investigation," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at his daily news conference, as quoted by PTI.

Last week, the US Justice Department alleged that an Indian government official made an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, on the US soil. The said official, Nikhil Gupta, was said to have done so along with another person who was an 'undercover' agent.

This came two months after Canadian PM Justin Trudeau alleged finding "potential" links to India's involvement in the killing of a Khalistani leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Jon Finer led a delegation to New Delhi on Monday to review the progress made in the ambitious US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) with India’s Deputy National Security Advisor Vikram Misri, the release further stated

"The iCET is a major milestone in the U.S.-India partnership, which is increasingly defined by strategic security and technology cooperation," it further said.

Finer conducted bilateral and regional consultations with Ambassador Misri, Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra for in-depth discussions aimed at strengthening coordination and policy alignment across the Indo-Pacific, including the wider Indian Ocean region, the White House said.

They also discussed the Middle East, including the recent attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the importance of safeguarding freedom of commercial navigation, as well as plans for a post-conflict Gaza and a pathway towards a two-state solution, according to the readout.