Our commitment is to the rule of law, Prime Minister Modi says in an interview to the Financial Times newspaper
Responding for the first time to allegations of an Indian assassination plot in the US, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he will “look into” any evidence but a “few incidents” would not derail US-India ties.
 
“If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it,” Prime Minister Modi said in an interview to the Financial Times newspaper on Wednesday (November 20, 2023). “If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law,” he stated.
 
The Financial Times had first reported that the US thwarted an attempt to kill Sikh extremist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil. 
 
On November 18, 2023, the Government of India constituted a high-level Inquiry Committee to look into all the relevant aspects of the matter after the US shared what India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) described as "some inputs pertaining to nexus between organized criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others".
 
Responding to concern about New Delhi’s alleged involvement in the plot having complicated the US-India relationship, Prime Minister Modi told the Financial Times, “There is strong bipartisan support for the strengthening of this relationship, which is a clear indicator of a mature and stable partnership.
 
“Security and counter-terrorism co-operation has been a key component of our partnership,” he added. “I don’t think it is appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries,” he said during the course of the interview to the British daily. 
 
Responding to the US Department of Justice’s charges against an Indian national that he worked with an Indian intelligence official in planning to allegedly kill Khalistan separatist Pannun in New York City, India on November 30, 2023 said it was a “matter of concern.”
 
"We have said, and let me reiterate, that this is also contrary to government policy,” MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in response to media queries on the matter.
 
“The nexus between organized crime, trafficking, gun running, and extremists at an international level is a serious issue for law enforcement agencies and organizations to consider, and it is precisely for that reason that a high-level enquiry committee has been constituted, and we will obviously be guided by its results,” he added.