India has called on the United States to classify a Sikh separatist organization as a terrorist group, as reported by an Indian government source on March 18. This appeal follows a revelation from over a year ago, when U.S. authorities disclosed that they had disrupted a plot, allegedly connected to India, aimed at assassinating a leader of the group on American soil, according to Reuters. In November 2023, U.S. officials publicly announced the thwarted plot and subsequently charged a former Indian intelligence officer with planning an attack on Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, who serves as the general counsel for Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). This incident has put a strain on the increasingly close relationship between India and the United States.India has refuted any official involvement in the matter, initiated an investigation into the allegations made by Washington, and in January 2024, indicated that the inquiry had recommended legal action against an unnamed individual.The recent request to designate SFJ as a terrorist organization was made during a meeting on March 18 between Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and U.S. national intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard, as reported by the Indian government source to Reuters.
India had previously classified SFJ as an “unlawful association” in 2019 due to its alleged support for extremist and separatist activities, and in 2020, it labeled Pannun as an “individual terrorist.”A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy stated that there would be no additional comments beyond the official statement regarding the discussions between Singh and Gabbard, which was released by India’s defense ministry on March 17. This statement emphasized the commitment to enhancing security cooperation but did not mention SFJ.Gabbard’s team and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not respond immediately to requests for comments. However, during a geopolitics conference in New Delhi on March 18, Gabbard acknowledged that Indian officials had expressed their “very serious concerns” about security threats, although she did not elaborate further.
