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'Expect US to take our security seriously': India on Pannun's threat to envoy
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal expressed India's serious concerns.
India on Friday condemned separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun for issuing threats to India's Ambassador to the United States Vinay Mohan Kwatra and asked the US to take New Delhi's security concerns seriously.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal expressed the country’s concerns, stating that the Indian government has raised the issue with the US authorities.
"We take the threats very seriously and we raise it with the US government. In this case, also, we have raised it with the US government and we expect that the US government will take our security concerns seriously," ANI quoted Jaiswal as saying.
Pannun issues threat against India's diplomat
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the leader of the banned pro-Khalistan group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), recently issued a threat against Vinay Mohan Kwatra.
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In a video message, Pannun accused Ambassador Kwatra of being the face of the "India-Russia terror nexus," claiming he was under the surveillance of pro-Khalistan groups.
Pannun alleged that Kwatra had been coordinating with Russian diplomats to counter Khalistani activities in North America.
US says committed to safety Indian envoy
A US Embassy spokesperson issued a statement on the threats issued to the Indian ambassador saying that the country was committed to the safety of all the diplomats.
“The US government is firmly committed to the security and safety of all diplomatic and consular personnel in the United States," India Today quoted the spokesperson as saying.
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Meanwhile, the outgoing Biden administration on Tuesday exuded confidence that India and the US will be able to “weather” the challenges to their relationship that arose after two recent indictments -- one related to a separatist and the other to an Indian billionaire.
“I'm confident that we will be able to weather this appropriately,” a senior administration official said.
