'Probe panel constituted on US inputs as these have bearing...': Jaishankar on Pannun plot case

India has established an inquiry committee to investigate information received from the United States, as these have a bearing on the country’s national security, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, days after Washington alleged an Indian link to a foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist on its soil.

Replying to a supplementary question on the US charges, Jaishankar said it was not directly connected to the original question which was on the foreign visits of Union ministers.

“Insofar as the US is concerned, certain inputs were given to us as part of our security cooperation with the United States. Those inputs were of concern to us because they (were) related to the nexus of organised crime, trafficking and other matters.”

“Because they have a bearing on our own national security, it was decided to institute an inquiry into the matter and an inquiry committee has been constituted,” he said.

The minister was also asked why there was no equitable treatment with regard to charges made by the Canadian government.

In response, he said, “Insofar as Canada is concerned, no specific evidence or inputs were provided to us. So the question of equitable treatment to two countries, one of whom has provided input and one of whom has not, does not arise.”

Last month, US federal prosecutors charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta with working with an Indian government employee in the foiled plot to kill Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who holds dual citizenship of the US and Canada.

Additionally, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously made a contentious claim suggesting potential involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, on Canadian soil in June. India has vehemently rejected Trudeau’s allegations, dismissing them as baseless and motivated.

With inputs from PTI