India has formally requested that the United States classify a Sikh separatist group as a terrorist organization, an Indian government source revealed on Tuesday. The request comes more than a year after U.S. authorities disclosed an alleged assassination plot linked to India, targeting a key figure in the group.
Washington publicly exposed the plot in November 2023, later charging a former Indian intelligence officer with orchestrating an attempt on the life of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a U.S.-Canadian dual citizen and the general counsel of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). The revelation created diplomatic friction between the two nations despite their strengthening strategic ties.
While India has denied any official involvement in the plot, it formed a panel to investigate the U.S. allegations. In January, the panel recommended legal action against an unnamed individual.
According to the Indian government source, the request to blacklist SFJ was made during discussions between Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and visiting U.S. national intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard. The source declined to be identified due to the confidential nature of the talks. Indian media outlets have also reported the request.
Established in 2007, SFJ advocates for an independent Sikh state called Khalistan within Hindu-majority India, frequently organizing referendums to promote its cause. India declared SFJ an "unlawful association" in 2019, accusing it of supporting extremism and separatism. Pannun himself was designated an "individual terrorist" in 2020.
Tensions over Sikh separatism have strained India's diplomatic relations, including a dispute with Canada following the 2023 killing of another Sikh separatist leader. SFJ has dismissed India's accusations, with Pannun responding defiantly.
"Who is the real terrorist? SFJ, which peacefully and democratically organizes the Global Khalistan Referendum, or Modi's India, which engages in violent transnational repression and hires assassins?" Pannun said in a statement shared with Reuters on Tuesday, referencing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
India’s defense ministry declined to comment on the matter, while a U.S. Embassy spokesperson did not provide further details beyond a Monday statement on Singh and Gabbard’s talks, which focused on strengthening security ties but did not mention SFJ. Gabbard’s office and the U.S. Director of National Intelligence also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Speaking at a geopolitics conference in New Delhi on Tuesday, Gabbard acknowledged India’s security concerns but did not elaborate, saying she had "heard from Indian counterparts about the very serious concerns you have for your own security interests."