India on Monday urged the United States to act against the outlawed Khalistani terror outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and its leader, US-based attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who has 104 criminal cases pending against him in India, eight of which were filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The SFJ has been associated with anti-India operations, such as threatening Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, the Indian government says.
The call to action was made during a meeting between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Monday in Delhi. Gabbard is on a multi-nation Indo-Pacific tour to India. The two leaders have discussed major points of defence cooperation and intelligence sharing.
After the meeting, Rajnath Singh tweeted on X (formerly Twitter):
"Honored to have met the US Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, in New Delhi. We exchanged views on a variety of subjects, including defence and information sharing, with the goal of further strengthening the India-US relationship."
India's Push Against Khalistani Elements in Western Nations
Gabbard also met NSA Ajit Doval during her visit, where the conversation centred around enhancing intelligence-sharing between the two nations. Sources informed NDTV that Doval specifically complained about Khalistani terrorist activities being carried out from within the US.
India has consistently requested that Western countries, including the US, UK, and Canada, suppress Khalistani sympathizers and terrorists utilizing foreign land for anti-India operations.
The problem was also debated last month when Prime Minister Modi met with former US President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. The two leaders discussed at length organized crime networks, including Khalistani-connected networks, and committed themselves to strengthening law enforcement cooperation against narco-terrorism, human trafficking, and the smuggling of arms.
Though at a joint press conference, Trump refused to answer directly when queried regarding Khalistani elements functioning out of the US.
In the meantime, India has also flagged this issue with New Zealand. The External Affairs Ministry said:
"On Khalistan, this was one issue that surfaced. We caution our friends about the activities of anti-India forces in their nations and the misuse of democratic freedoms to justify terrorism and issue threats to India."
Pannun, Nijjar, and the US-Canada Diplomatic Tensions with India
These events play out against the backdrop of US and Canadian complaints against India about alleged targeting of Khalistani terrorists overseas.
The US earlier had accused a former Indian intelligence officer of being part of a foiled attempt to kill Pannun.
A former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blamed Indian officials for planning the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Vancouver.
India has categorically rejected these charges. Actually, a Canadian commission report (January 2025) concluded "no definitive foreign state link" in the murder of Nijjar.
Further, Trudeau himself admitted in October 2024 that he did not have "hard evidence" to back his assertions of Indian involvement.
Against the US indictment for the reported attempt on the life of Pannun, India established a high-level investigation committee to look into organized crime and terror syndicates that concern both countries. The committee tabled its report on January 15, 2025, and advised proceeding against the former Indian intelligence officer (named as "CC1") in the New York indictment.
Tulsi Gabbard's India Visit
In a special conversation with NDTV, Gabbard underlined the solidity of US-India ties and the friendly relationship between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump.
"With President Trump at the helm in the US and Prime Minister Modi's long leadership in India, we have two leaders of two great nations who are excellent friends and are keen on consolidating common goals."
Gabbard will also speak at the Raisina Dialogue on Tuesday, an annual India-hosted geopolitical and geoeconomic forum since 2016.
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