Internal Inquiry On US Charges On Track, Foreign Secretary Tells Tharoor-Led Parliamentary Panel

Foreign secretary Vikram Misri appeared before the parliamentary standing committee for external affairs on Wednesday to discuss India’s ties with China and Canada.

The committee is headed by Congress MP and former external affairs minister Dr Shashi Tharoor. During the briefing, officials from the ministry made a detailed presentation on both China and Canada.

That the foreign secretary informed the panel that after receiving certain details from America, India has formed an internal committee to look into the allegations.

There are two ongoing investigations against India: one is in US courts and the other is in Canada. In the US case, the indictment has already taken place, and the United States has provided some information to India that links Indian government officers to the plot to kill Sikhs for Justice chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, after which India decided to form a high-level committee.

In fact, two members from the Indian side visited the US to exchange thoughts on the case. Vikash Yadav is said to be a former RAW official named by the US in connection with the failed assassination attempt on Pannun. Nikhil Gupta, who is said to be the contact of Vikash Yadav, has already been extradited by the US government from the Czech Republic.

In the ongoing case in Canada, no evidence has been shared with the Indian side yet, he reportedly added. “This investigation is regarding the involvement of agents of the government of India in the killing of Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun,” the foreign secretary told the panel, according to the sources.

The committee was also briefed that India had huge concerns about the safety of its mission in Canada after what has transpired recently. The foreign secretary informed the committee in detail about the visa issue and other developments.

The ministry officials also told the members that the situation in Canada and the strained ties between the two nations were the outcome of Canada’s internal politics being on display. The political scenario playing out in Canada, especially with regard to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, could also be one of the reasons that Ottawa has been taking such a stand.

In the first part of the meeting, Misri gave a detailed response to the panel on the situation along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. Sources say that the committee members expressed satisfaction upon his response, which also added to what external affairs minister S Jaishankar had already briefed both houses of Parliament about.

When contacted, committee chairman Shashi Tharoor said it was “a very good and cordial meeting” and that the foreign secretary answered all the questions the members had asked. In an earlier meeting, the foreign secretary had briefed the same panel about the developments in West Asia, especially on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The committee is scheduled to meet next on December 11, when it will be briefed about the situation in neighbouring nation Bangladesh. Even on Wednesday, multiple BJP MPs in Parliament raised the issue of attacks on minorities in Bangladesh.

A meeting of the consultative committee, which will be chaired by the external affairs minister himself, is also scheduled to take place on November 14, during which he will brief the panel on India’s neighbourhood policy. He is expected to throw further light on the situation in Bangladesh amongst other neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China.

On Wednesday, Jaishankar made a detailed statement in the Rajya Sabha on the de-escalation between India and China.

“Let me share with Honourable Members our expectation regarding the direction of our ties with China in the near future. Our relationship had progressed in many domains, but was obviously negatively affected by recent events. We are clear that the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in border areas is a pre-requisite for the development of our ties. In the coming days, we will be discussing both de-escalation as well as effective management of our activities in the border areas,” he said in the statement.

“The conclusion of the disengagement phase now allows us to consider other aspects of our bilateral engagement in a calibrated manner, keeping our national security interests first and foremost. In my recent meeting with FM Wang Yi, we reached an understanding that the Special Representatives and the Foreign Secretary level mechanisms will be convening soon.”