The US foiled a plot to assassinate Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil, a Financial Times report said on Wednesday. The report further said that the US officials also issued a ‘warning’ to the Indian government over plausibility of its involvement in Pannun’s assassination conspiracy.
“Washington shared details of the Pannu case with a wider group of allies after Trudeau went public with details of the Vancouver killing, the combination of which sparked concern among allies about a possible pattern of behaviour,” the FT report said.
According to the FT report, there is still no clarity on whether FBI stepped in and thwarted the plan. Pannun, who holds citizenships of both the US and Canada, is ‘general counsel’ for Sikhs for Justice. SFJ is a US-based group that advocates independent state for Sikhs – Khalistan.
The development comes on a day when India restored electronic visa services for Canadian nationals. Two months ago, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had claimed that Canadian security agencies were investigating “credible allegations” regarding a potential connection between Indian government agents and the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canada-based Khalistan separatist, in Vancouver in June.
The recent visa decision is perceived as a de-escalation move by New Delhi, following India’s request for Canada to decrease its diplomatic presence in response to a diplomatic dispute.
Last month, Canada announced the withdrawal of 41 diplomats from India and the suspension of visa and consular services in Chandigarh, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. These services are now exclusively offered at the Canadian High Commission in Delhi.
On November 5, Pannun had issued a warning and said that Sikhs should not fly with Air India on November 19. This evoked the memories of Kanishka bombing in 1980s.