External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday asserted that the country's "national security interests" are involved in its ongoing investigation into the alleged unsuccessful plot to kill Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on US soil, in response to remarks by Washington's Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti.
In an exclusive interview with the a news agency, Garcetti said that India and the US were working jointly on the case and praised the New Delhi government for doing "everything that's been asked for".
But the envoy also said that a "red line" should not be crossed and "no country" or "no government employee" should be involved in the assassination of a foreign national.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in Delhi today, the External Affairs Minister said, "It is something we are investigating as we believe our own national security interests are involved in that investigation."
Jaishankar said Garcetti "as an ambassador will say what he thinks is the position of his government".
"The position of my government is that in this particular case, there has been certain information provided to us which we are investigating," he said.
"So, as and when we have something to say about the investigation, we would be very glad to speak about it. At this point, beyond the fact that there is an investigation going on, we have nothing more to say."
The latest development comes as Indian national Nikhil Gupta was charged by US prosecutors in November last year in connection with his involvement in a foiled plot to assassinate Pannun, who is designated a terrorist by India for financing violence and fanning Khalistani sentiments.
The federal prosecutors charged that Gupta was working with an Indian government employee and had agreed to pay an assassin USD 1,00,000 to kill Pannun, who lives in New York City.
