The governments of India and the United States have worked hard since the 1990s to smooth over challenges and advance ties. However, lingering Cold-War era suspicions and networks allow considerable space for harmful lobbies and ideologues to widen rifts.
The story of the conspiracy to kill Gurupatwant Singh Pannun on US soil may well be an instance of such dynamics playing out. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom’s (USCIRF) Annual Report 2025, released this week, calls for targeted sanctions against India’s external intelligence arm, the Research & Analysis Wing (RAW). This is based, in large part, on the ‘Pannun Plot.’
These recommendations are non-binding and unlikely to be acted upon. But the threat to Indo-US ties from such narratives must be taken seriously. Given that the accusations are unconvincing, a possible ‘narrative-offensive’ by vested interests must also be ruled out in the interest of bilateral ties.
The ‘Pannun Plot’ plays out in three strands: the US Justice Department’s indictments; media coverage (especially Western); and official statements. The alleged story goes like this: Vikas Yadav, a RAW officer–presumably working on the Indian government’s orders–recruited Nikhil Gupta, an alleged narcotics and gun runner, to arrange the murder of Pannun, a US citizen, attorney, ‘political activist’, and Khalistani separatist.
Content retrieved from: https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/why-framing-raw-in-pannu-murder-plot-is-absurd-13875557.html.
