A day before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the US for the UN General Assembly in New York – as well as a Quadrilateral Security Dialogue summit hosted by US President Joe Biden – White House officials met with pro-Khalistan Sikh activists, according to Reuters and several Indian media outlets.
The meeting was reportedly held on Thursday and was organized by the National Security Council. According to Reuters, the officials briefed a group of Sikh advocates about Washington’s ongoing conversations with New Delhi regarding the foiled assassination attempt against New York-based Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun last year.
Pannun, a citizen of the US and Canada who heads the Sikhs for Justice group, is designated as a terrorist by the Indian government.
According to NDTV, it was the first time National Security Council officials have engaged with representatives of Sikh groups that support the Khalistan movement – which aims to create a separate state for Sikhs carved out of the Indian state of Punjab and neighboring regions. The activists were assured of protection against “transnational aggression” on US soil, the report said.
Secessionist groups such as Sikhs for Justice are outlawed in India for advocating separatism and terrorist activities, as they have been behind several deadly attacks against government officials and civilians. New Delhi has accused some Western nations – particularly the US, UK, and Canada, which are home to large Sikh diasporas – of harboring terrorists on their soil.
At a meeting with senior White House and US intelligence officials, Sikh representatives had a “chance to thank senior federal government officials for saving [the] lives of Sikh Americans and for vigilance in protecting our community,” Pritpal Singh, the founder of the American Sikh Caucus Committee, told Reuters.
Earlier this week, Pannun filed a civil lawsuit against the Indian government and a number of officials, including National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, who was expected to be a part of the delegation traveling with Modi to the US. The Indian Foreign Ministry slammed the court summons, calling it “unwarranted” and “unsubstantiated.”
Washington has urged India to investigate the murder plot against Pannun after US prosecutors alleged New Delhi’s potential involvement last year. While India has denied these claims, it established a high-level committee to conduct an investigation. The issue has complicated relations between the two nations, according to diplomats and foreign policy experts.
As a part of his three-day visit, on Saturday, Modi took part in the summit of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue – an informal platform between India, the US, Australia, and Japan. The leaders of the four nations discussed a range of global issues, including the “development priorities” for the Indo-Pacific region, according to a statement by India. The summit, which was initially supposed to be hosted by India, was shifted to the US at Washington’s request. While in the US, Modi will also meet with thousands of members of the Indian diaspora and will address the ‘Summit of the Future’ at the UN General Assembly in New York.