US 'Satisfied' After Meeting Indian Officials Over Alleged Assassination Plot Of Sikh Separatist Pannun

The United States and India held a "productive" meeting in Washington Tuesday, discussing an ongoing probe into an alleged plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader on US soil, according to a US State Department official. According to the official, Washington is 'satisfied' with India's cooperation in the matter. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a well-known Sikh separatist leader and dual citizen of the US and Canada, was allegedly the subject of an attempted assassination by Indian operatives, as per accusations made by the US. Reuters reported that an Indian national has been charged in relation to the event. The US had alleged that the person acted on directions from an unidentified Indian government official.A representative for the State Department acknowledged that a committee of the Indian government looking into these accusations met with officials of the United States to discuss the latest developments."The individual named in the indictment is no longer an Indian government employee," the spokesperson said, without offering additional details. He described the session as “productive,” and said, "We are satisfied with their cooperation; it’s an ongoing process," Reuters reported.The spokesman said that India presented its own conclusions and that the U.S. Justice Department briefed the Indian committee on its probe. Canada, which recently expelled Indian ambassadors due to identical accusations, has also criticized Washington for India's lack of cooperation, Reuters reported.On Monday, the Canadian government sacked Indian ambassadors, citing their alleged complicity in the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian territory. India retaliated by expelling Canadian ambassadors and refuted the accusations made by Canada.