LONDON: The US government has delayed sending 31 MQ-9A Sea Guardian and Sky Guardian drones to India until after New Delhi conducts a “meaningful investigation” into the state-sponsored plot in India to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the founder and leader of Khalistan Referendum and Sikhs For Justice (SFJ).
The US State Department has accused India of attempting to murder Pannun on US soil due to his political convictions and his worldwide lobbying to rally the Sikh community for the Khalistan cause, which has strained relations between the two countries.
Pannun, a lawyer in New York City with dual citizenship in the US and Canada, is currently under strict security following the death of his buddy Hardeep Singh Nijjar and the US government’s declaration that Pannun’s life is in danger from the Indian government.
The Indian Air Force and Army are expected to receive eight Sky Guardian drones apiece, while the Indian Navy would receive fifteen Sea Guardian drones as part of the proposed $3 billion acquisition. Indian media reports that Washington is also delaying smaller Indian acquisitions, such as a plan to purchase six Boeing P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft. These will augment the Indian Navy’s current fleet of 12 P-8I Poseidon aircraft.
One week prior to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington, in June 2023, the Indian Ministry of Defence gave its internal approval for the now-stalled drone procurement. Additionally, during this time, the plot to kill Pannun, which was allegedly started by an Indian secret service agent known only as CC1 (as detailed in a federal indictment released in November of last year), intensified. The US captured the Indian state official on camera ordering RAW agent Nikhil Gupta to immediately recruit assassins in New York to assassinate Pannun.
The purchase is currently stalled in the US Congress due to outrage at the blatant attempt on Pannun’s life. According to a highly-placed source, US lawmakers have halted the legislative activity necessary to move forward with the sale.
The Washington-based source attributed the hold-up in the delivery of these deadly, long-range weaponry to India to the heightened concerns of Indian-American senators regarding the impact from Gupta’s prosecution.
He is presently being held in custody in the Czech Republic while he awaits his deportation to the United States in the coming weeks, having been legally accused with plotting Pannun’s death.
Following a classified briefing from the Biden administration on the federal indictment and India’s open involvement in the kill plot, five US Congress members of Indian descent released a joint statement on the Pannun plot last December. They stated that it is imperative that India conduct a thorough investigation, hold those responsible, including Indian government officials.
Federal prosecutors in the US claim that Gupta made a $100,000 pledge to an FBI agent who was acting as a hitman in order to have Pannun killed in New York. On June 30, Gupta was detained in the Czech Republic at the request of the United States.
US federal prosecutors charged Gupta on November 29 with murder-for-hire, a crime that carries a possible sentence of 10 years in prison, and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, a crime that brings a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The Indian-American legislators also threatened to do “significant damage” to the US-India alliance should New Delhi fail to take prompt, decisive action.
“India has pledged to provide a thorough explanation of the Pannun incident. The Washington insider stated that “Capitol Hill will then exercise its judgment on whether or not India has taken adequate measures.”
With a maximum operational altitude of 50,000 feet, a speed of 240 knots, an endurance of more than 27 hours, and a payload capacity of 1,746 kg, including 1,361 kg of external storage, the adaptable Sea Guardian drone is very capable. The Honeywell TPE331-10 turboprop engine, which powers the MQ-9A, dramatically enhances fuel efficiency and engine performance, especially at low altitudes.
Days after senior US State Department officials, including Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu, visited Delhi, the report was released.
