Intelligence sources reject report of India’s involvement in targeting of Khalistan supporters in US

Leading intelligence sources in India have dismissed as “baseless” the Financial Times story from November 22 that claimed, through unidentified sources, that US authorities had foiled a plan to assassinate a Sikh separatist in their nation and had warned India over possible government involvement. The U.S. embassy in New Delhi and the foreign ministry had not released a statement at the time this news was published. According to The Financial Times, the sources did not specify if the plot was thwarted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or whether the plotters abandoned it as a result of the protest to India. According to the story, President Joe Biden’s June greeting of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his state visit prompted the protest to be sent to New Delhi. Sources claimed, “Nothing was shared with the Indian government and the story is baseless.” “The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the leader of the outlawed pro-Khalistan group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), on its books, but that doesn’t mean we should grab a pistol and start murdering people. We follow our own strategy and setup for case investigation and probing,” they declared. “Pannun is named as an accused in several cases, and we are investigating his case via various means. We are genuinely following the situation and have dispatched Letter Rogatories (LR) to several nations, according to sources. After Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed in Parliament that a “foreign agent” was involved in the murder of Khalistan separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, ties between India and Canada has suffered. He went so far as to say he had intelligence inputs and proof that Nijjar’s death might have been orchestrated by the Indian government. Both sides expelled diplomats in retaliation for these claims, which New Delhi has categorically refuted. On June 18, Nijjar was shot and killed outside a Gurdwara in Surrey, Canada, by unidentified assailants. He was the leader of the outlawed Khalistan Tiger Force, and in 2020, the Indian government classified him as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Additionally, Interpol has repeatedly issued red corner notices against him. CNN-News18 has already reported that no actionable intelligence on NIjjar was shared by Canada on the case, despite the National Security Adviser’s (NSA) communication with his counterparts at least 20 times. CNN-News18 had earlier reported how Pannun is being funded by Pakistan’s ISI, citing top intelligence sources.