The US government has postponed the delivery of 31 MQ-9A Sea Guardian and Sky Guardian drones to India until New Delhi conducts a thorough investigation into the alleged conspiracy to assassinate Sikh leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual US and Canadian citizen, is a prominent activist based in New York advocating for the Khalistan movement, which seeks an independent homeland for Sikhs by separating Punjab from India.
According to a report by The Wire, the proposed $3 billion purchase includes 15 Sea Guardian drones for the Indian Navy, with the Indian Air Force and Army slated to receive eight Sky Guardian drones each. The US government has also put on hold other Indian procurement plans, including the proposed acquisition of six Boeing P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft to supplement the Indian Navy’s existing fleet of 12 P-8I Poseidon aircraft.
Ironically, the Indian Ministry of Defence granted internal approval for the drone procurement in June 2023, just a week before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington. This period also coincided with the intensification of the conspiracy to assassinate Pannun, allegedly orchestrated by an Indian security official identified as CC1 in a federal indictment made public in November.
As of now, the purchase is stalled in the US Congress due to outrage over the brazen attempt to assassinate Pannun. US representatives have halted legislative progress necessary to proceed with the sale, as reported by a source in Washington cited by The Wire.
Explaining the delay, a Washington-based source noted that Indian-American lawmakers, in particular, are deeply concerned about the fallout from the indictment of an Indian national named Nikhil Gupta. Gupta, currently detained in the Czech Republic pending extradition to the US, stands accused of offering $100,000 to an FBI agent posing as a hitman to kill Pannun in New York. On November 29, US federal prosecutors charged Gupta with murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, offenses carrying potential sentences of up to 10 years in prison.
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