US Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer, who is currently on a crucial visit to India, held a series of bilateral meetings with his Indian counterpart and External Affairs Ministers on Monday. According to the statement released by the White House, the officials discussed the "foiled" assassination attempt of Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil. Although the statement claimed that Finer acknowledged India’s establishment of a Committee of Enquiry to investigate lethal plotting in the United States and the importance of holding accountable anyone found responsible, it did not elaborate further.
"Good to meet Principal Deputy NSA of the US Jon Finer this afternoon. Useful exchange of views on the global situation. Discussed taking our bilateral cooperation forward," Jaishankar said on 'X'.
US federal prosecutors charged Nikhil Gupta in a failed murder plot
Notably, earlier last week, US federal prosecutors charged Nikhil Gupta, 52, with working with an Indian government employee in the foiled plot to kill Pannun. The US prosecutors informed a Manhattan court that authorities in the Czech Republic arrested and detained Gupta-- a claim that the Indian official vehemently rejected but raised "grave concerns" over the matter.
It is worth mentioning Pannun-- a leader of the so-called 'Sikhs for Justice'-- is wanted by Indian probe agencies on various terror charges. Recently, his name appeared on the wanted list after he threatened to blow up an Air India flight on November 18.
Besides, the Khalistani issue, the White House said the Finer-led delegation also reviewed the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) with Indian Deputy National Security Advisor Vikram Misri. The iCET is a major milestone in the US-India partnership, which is increasingly defined by strategic security and technology cooperation.
Israel-Hamas war also discussed
Meanwhile, while speaking with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, the top Biden official discussed ways of strengthening coordination and policy alignment across the Indo-Pacific, including the wider Indian Ocean region.
Also, the officials discussed the Middle East, including the recent attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the importance of safeguarding freedom of commercial navigation, as well as plans for a post-conflict Gaza and a pathway toward a two-state solution.
