The US has revealed formally that the hitherto unnamed Indian government official who is allegedly responsible for a plot to assassinate pro-Khalistan activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is Vikash Yadav, an operative of the Research and Analysis Wing. Meanwhile, Canada has said it has “irrefutable evidence” that the Narendra Modi government has used Indian diplomats stationed in Canada as well as the Lawrence Bishnoi criminal gang as part of a campaign of systemic violence on Canadian soil.
Both countries have expelled six diplomats each, as otherwise friendly ties have taken an unprecedented turn. Union external affairs minister S. Jaishankar has become the first Indian minister to visit Pakistan in nine years in a visit that was not marked by the usual verbal sparring.
The Wire’s Sravasti Dasgupta is joined by Siddharth Varadarajan, founding editor at The Wire, and Amit Baruah, senior journalist.
