US authorities thwart conspiracy to assassinate Sikh leader on American soil

Islamabad: The US authorities have thwarted a conspiracy to assassinate a Sikh leader on the American soil.

According to a report published in Financial Times, the US issued a warning to India's government over concerns it was involved in the plot.

The target of the plot was an American and Canadian citizen Gurpatwant Singh Pannun who is general counsel for Sikhs for Justice, a US based group that is part of a movement pushing for an independent Sikh State Khalistan.

According to details, the US President Joe Biden raised the matter in discussion with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting at the G-20 summit in New Delhi in September.

The National Security Council also confirmed the Financial Times report of the plot and said the US had raised the issue with India, including at the senior most levels.

The US informed some allies about the plot following the murder of a Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Vancouver in June.  In September, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there are credible allegations linking New Delhi to Nijjar's fatal shooting.