INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The White House said on Monday it viewed the reported role of the Indian intelligence service in two assassination plots in Canada and the
United States as a serious matter.The Washington Post reported that an officer in India&s intelligence service was directly involved in a
foiled plan to assassinate a United States citizen who is one of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&s most vocal critics in the United
States.It said the officer was also involved in the separate shooting death of a Sikh activist last June in Canada.India&s foreign ministry
said the Washington Post report made &unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter& while New Delhi is investigating the
issue.Speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful,& foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.This
is a serious matter, and we&re taking that very, very seriously,& White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.We&re going to
continue to raise our concerns.In November, United States authorities said an Indian government official had directed the plot in the
attempted murder of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist and dual citizen of the United States and Canada, Reuters reported.India has
expressed concern about the linkage and dissociated itself from the plot, saying it would formally investigate the concerns of the United
States, and take ‘necessary follow-up action& on the findings of a panel set up on Nov
18.Pannun is the general counsel of Sikhs for Justice, a group that India labeled an &unlawful association& in 2019, citing its involvement
Subsequently, in 2020, India listed Pannun as an &individual terrorist&.The issue is a delicate one for both India and the Biden
administration in the United States as they try to build closer ties in the face of shared concerns about China&s growing power.News of the
United States plot came two months after Canada said it was looking at credible allegations potentially linking Indian agents to the June
murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another Sikh separatist, in a Vancouver suburb.India strongly rejected Ottawa&s accusations.The post
Reported Indian role in assassination plots a ‘serious matter&, White House says first appeared on Ariana News.
