US, Canada wave red flags together, India rubbishes charge on plot against Khalistan separatists

Canadian interlocutors are learnt to have conveyed to New Delhi that Indian diplomats and officials were involved in the identification and surveillance of pro-Khalistan elements in Canada. Indian government officials rejected such assertions.

The Washington Post detailed one such meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in Singapore Saturday in which Canadian NSA Nathalie Drouin, Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison and a top RCMP official are said to have made Ottawa’s concern and disquiet known to the Indian side.

The US, also leaning on India to investigate the links that lead to the assassination plot of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, had sounded out Delhi on possible links being uncovered.

In fact, the enquiry committee — that was formed by the government in November last year around the time the US indictment became public and whose composition has been kept secret — was called to the US this week to share some information US investigators have gathered.

The US, also leaning on India to investigate the links that lead to the assassination plot of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, had sounded out Delhi on possible links being uncovered. (Express file photo)

The US State Department spokesperson, in an unusual statement, made it public: “An Indian Enquiry Committee that was established to investigate activities of certain organized criminals is actively investigating the individual who was identified last year in the Department of Justice’s indictment as an Indian government employee who directed a foiled plot to assassinate a U.S. citizen in New York City.”

“The Enquiry Committee will be traveling to Washington, D.C. on October 15, as part of their ongoing investigations to discuss the case, including information they have obtained, and to receive an update from US authorities regarding the U.S. case that is proceeding. Additionally, India has informed the United States they are continuing their efforts to investigate other linkages of the former government employee and will determine follow up steps, as necessary,” the State Department spokesperson said.

Hours later, the statement went missing from the US State Department website.

With the two plots converging and officials from two administrations reaching out around the same time, there is a clear indication, sources said, that US and Canada are “coordinating” their moves.

Significantly, while India has brushed aside Ottawa’s allegations calling them “absurd,” and “politically motivated”, it has taken the US allegations seriously and its response has been much more cooperative.

The sense in New Delhi is that the change in the levers of the US administration — from President Joe Biden to Presidential candidate Kamala Harris — is behind the tightening of screws on the alleged Indian role in the action against pro-Khalistan separatist figures on Canadian and US soil.

Senior US officials have long maintained they want “accountability” in the Indian system and want New Delhi to fix the gaps so that similar attempts are not repeated. The sense in Washington is that while Delhi is an important strategic partner, it needs to be more careful of such “adventurism.”