India’s own security interests involved in Pannun probe: EAM

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday, emphasized that India’s investigation into the alleged involvement of a government official in the assassination plot targeting Khalistani extremist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is crucial for national security interests.

“It is something we are investigating as we believe our own national security interests are involved in that investigation,” he told reporters, replying to a question about US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti’s statement that the involvement of a government official in an assassination bid on the citizen of another country is an “unacceptable red line”.

Jaishankar said the US ambassador will say what he feels is the thinking or 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, adding that India’s own security interest is involved in this.

To a question about Indians getting caught up in the Ukraine conflict after being taken to Russia on job promises, he said India has taken up the matter “very very strongly” with the Russian government. “We are trying to get all these people back to India safely,” he said.

Jaishankar claimed that prime ministers from the Congress displayed indifference about Katchatheevu island as if they did not care and gave away Indian fishermen’s rights despite legal views to the contrary.

The records exist of the then foreign secretary keeping the then Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi, the late DMK patriarch, fully informed of the talks between the two countries, Jaishankar said and accused the regional party of conniving with the Congress in 1974 and thereafter in creating the situation which has been a cause of

“great concern”.