US and India Share Updates on Alleged Khalistani Plot: State Department
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New York, Dec 18 (NationPress) The committee formed by India to investigate claims related to a murder-for-hire scheme directed at a Khalistani residing in the US has been sharing briefings with US government entities, as per State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
“We have been consistently updating them on the findings of our investigation,” he remarked during a press briefing for international correspondents.
Furthermore, “not only the State Department but also other agencies within the United States Government” have been receiving reports from India concerning their own inquiry, he added.
Last year, India established the committee to “explore all dimensions of the issue” following the US indictment of Indian national Nikhil Gupta, who is accused of being involved in a murder-for-hire conspiracy in New York aimed at Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Khalistani leader.
This year, a former police officer associated with RAW, Vikash Yadav, was also indicted as an alleged co-conspirator.
When inquired if this matter was discussed during Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu's recent visit to India, Miller stated he could not comment on the trip but added, “I can assure you that in all our high-level discussions with the Government of India, this is a topic we bring up.”
“What we have stressed to them is that our ultimate goal regarding this crime is accountability,” he stated.
Gupta has refuted the allegations in the US federal court where he is currently on trial after being apprehended in the Czech Republic and subsequently extradited to the US.
Miller dismissed claims made by the BJP that the State Department is attempting to destabilize India.
“This is completely untrue,” he asserted.
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged this month that in collaboration with the State Department, elements of the US “deep state” have conspired with certain journalists and political leaders to hinder India’s progress by making baseless accusations without a “shred of evidence.”
He referred to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), whose reports have been utilized by the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, to criticize Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Patra claimed that reports indicate this project is funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and “deep state figures” such as billionaire activist George Soros.
Miller did not comment on whether the project is financed by USAID, an agency that collaborates closely with the State Department, but mentioned, “We offer professional development training for journalists globally as part of our commitment to freedom of expression and press freedom.
“To associate that with undermining a close partner of the United States is just absurd.
