The United States announced that it had successfully thwarted an Indian** assassination attempt against Sikh separatist Pannon. Pannon was an American-Canadian citizen and a prominent figure in the Sikh independent Khalistan movement. Adrian Watson, a spokesman for the White House committee, said that concerns about the matter had been expressed to the highest levels of India.
According to relevant reports from the United States, the assassination plan of the Indian Intelligence Service did exist, and the evidence was conclusive, and it was successfully exposed by the US authorities. The mission, Nikhil Gupta, was in India for his involvement in international drug and trafficking. Indian intelligence had asked Gupta to assassinate Sikh diaspora in exchange for the dismissal of his criminal case. It is worth noting that Gupta chose an informant from the US Drug Enforcement Administration as a partner to work with, and through his matchmaking, India** agreed to pay the "killer" $100,000. On June 9, Gupta paid $15,000 in cash as a deposit in Manhattan.
Indian intelligence provided Pannon's personal information and surveillance** and demanded that the "killer" refrain from taking action during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States. However, Gupta carried out a "big target" assassination in Canada, setting off a chain reaction. Nijjar was shot six days later, after which Indian intelligence** instructed Gupta to kill Pannon immediately, calling it a "top priority".
The incident exposed India's strong hostility towards Sikh separatists. Despite the fact that India's per capita GDP is just over $1,000, it is willing to pay a bounty of $100,000 to eliminate Pennon. This shows that India** has taken an extremely resolute stance on the issue of the organization of the Khalistan movement, and does not hesitate to pay a high price.
Political assassinations between States usually have clear objectives, but extending operations to other countries, especially across national borders, is in fact an act of State terrorism and is not advisable. States strongly condemn the assassinations carried out by foreign intelligence agencies on their territory and take vigilance and deterrent measures.
In the past, some countries had poor security capabilities and failed to adequately identify and prevent foreign** activities. However, this does not mean that the assassination will bring benefits. On the contrary, such acts tend to provoke more violent retaliation. In the case of the U.S. bombing of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Soleimani, Iran quickly fired multiple missiles at U.S. military bases in Iraq in retaliation, injuring many U.S. troops.
The thwart of India's assassination plan in the United States has exposed the other side of US policy towards India. Despite its efforts to win over India, the United States still does not give up looking for problems. The Khalistan movement became a tool to contain India. If the United States really wants to maintain friendly relations with India, it should at least control the activities of the Khalistan organization in the United States as a sign of respect for India. However, this is not the case, and the high activity of Sikhs in Canada and the United States is intolerable in India.