US Denies Reports Of Expelling Indian Diplomats Amid India-Canada Row

Washington: US State Department declined claims indicating that Washington was mulling expulsion of Indian diplomats amidst the ongoing strain between India and Canada. Addressing reporters, US State Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, reportedly said he was not familiar with any such developments.

“”I am not familiar with this report that we expelled Indian diplomats…I’m not aware of any expulsion,” Miller said, as quoted by the Times of India.

This statement came after India recently recalled six of its diplomats from Canada. The Canadian government had dubbed the Indian diplomats as ‘persons of interest’ in the investigation surrounding the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

The US also responded to questions regarding Vikash Yadav, a former Indian government employee, and his alleged role in the attempted plot to assassinate pro-Khalistani leader, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

When asked about Yadav’s possible extradition, Miller claimed that decision in this regard would be taken by the US Justice Department. But, he confirmed that the US had been in talks with the Indian government and also a delegation from India visited Washington recently for a briefing exchange on the progress of the investigation in this matter.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had released a wanted poster of Vikas Yadav. Reports had also claimed that the Delhi Police’s Special Cell had arrested Yadav in an extortion case. Yadav was mentioned by the US Department of Justice documents as “CC-1” (co-conspirator) in the Pannum murder plot case.

Who is Pannum?

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual US-Canadian citizen and New York-based lawyer, advocates for Khalistan. Washington had alleged an Indian national, working with an Indian government official, had attempted to hire a hitman for $100,000 (£79,000) to carry out the murder of Pannum on American soil. The plot was unravelled as the hitman was actually an undercover FBI agent, reported the BBC.Pannum is also the spokesman for Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a US-based Sikh separatist group that is banned in India since 2019.