The public criticism of India by the United States for its alleged role in the assassination attempt of Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has created an awkward and embarrassing situation for India.
Pannun’s Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) is seen as a front for Khalistan separatists and is banned in India.
The accusation has come at a time when differences between India and the US in other areas have also come into the public domain. This has led many to wonder how such developments are likely to affect the growing strategic partnership between the two countries.
The charges made by the US are similar to what Canada brought against India for the murder of another Khalistani terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in June. It is significant that it was the US that helped Canada establish a potential link to India’s involvement in the killing of Nijjar in Vancouver.
The US, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand are part of the 'Five Eyes Alliance', a multilateral intelligence-sharing arrangement between the five Anglophone countries.
India has denied its involvement in these attacks. But they have also brought to light how entities considered inimical to Indian interests found encouragement and a safe haven in these countries. The allegations have come at a time when differences between India and the US have also become visible in Bangladesh. India supports incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, its most important ally in South Asia.
But the US has sanctioned her and encouraged political opponents to regain prominence before the January 7 elections in Bangladesh. Indo-US differences first surfaced over the Ukraine war.
The US had launched a campaign to rally support among countries around the world to isolate Russia for invading Ukraine.But India neither condemned Russia nor imposed sanctions on it like other US allies.
Despite its disappointment with the Indian stand, the US continued to cooperate with India as both countries agreed to work together to deal with the threat posed by China in the Indo-Pacific region. But in recent months, more differences have become visible between the two sides.
US charges against India
The allegation about India’s involvement in Pannun's life was made in a Financial Times report.
The report claimed the US “thwarted a conspiracy to assassinate” Pannun on American soil and “issued a warning to India's government over concerns it was involved in the plot”.
This week, a White House spokesperson confirmed the FT report and said the US is treating this issue with “utmost seriousness” and has raised it with the Indian government at the senior-most level.
The US National Security Council Spokesperson, Adrienne Watson, said, “We are treating this issue with utmost seriousness, and it has been raised by the US government with the Indian government, including at the senior-most levels."
But Watson said his Indian counterparts expressed surprise and concern. They stated that activity of this nature was not their policy.
The Indian government is further investigating this issue and will have more to say about it in the coming days, she said.
She added, “We have conveyed our expectation that anyone deemed responsible should be held accountable.”
Different approaches to Canada and the US
India had rejected the Canadian charges as “absurd and motivated”.
The charges made by Canadian Prime Minister Justine Trudeau in parliament had seriously damaged bilateral relations.
India had advised its nationals to avoid visiting Canada and forced the Canadian government to prune its staff strength in the New Delhi High Commission.
However, it has taken a very different approach to the charges levelled by the US, its strategic partner.
The Ministry of External Affairs spokesman, Arindam Bagchi, said that during recent discussions on security cooperation, the US side shared some inputs on the nexus between organised criminals, gunrunners, terrorists, and others.
He said the inputs were a cause for concern for both countries, and they have decided to take follow-up action.
Bagchi added, “India takes such inputs seriously since they impinge on our own national security interests as well."
He said the inputs provided by the US were already being examined by relevant Indian departments.
The different approaches adopted by India in dealing with charges made by Canada and the US stem from Indian stakes in relations between the two countries.
Though strained, Indo-Canadian ties could affect the Indian diaspora, including students and businessmen, in Canada. India could afford to take a tough stand and ignore its ties with Canberra for some time.
However, it enjoys an extremely important relationship with the US.
Both countries have invested heavily in their strategic partnership and cooperate with each other in a wide range of areas for mutual benefit.
Moreover, the aggressive policy of China in the Indo-Pacific is a serious concern for India and the US.
Observers pointed out that it was not unusual for India and the US to have differences on issues that can often be embarrassing when they are visible to the public.
But their geo-strategic needs are too strong and important, which will allow them to tide over the minor crises that could crop up from time to time.
However, it remains to be seen how the two sides deal with the Pannun episode or the difficult situations that may come in the way of their growing strategic partnership in the future.
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