The delivery of 31 MQ-9A Sea Guardian and Sky Guardian drones to India by the US government has been delayed, contingent on New Delhi conducting a “meaningful investigation” into the alleged conspiracy to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Khalistan activist based in New York holding dual US and Canadian citizenship.
The proposed $3 billion purchase involves 15 Sea Guardian drones for the Indian Navy, with the Indian Air Force and Army slated to receive eight Sky Guardian drones each. Additionally, smaller Indian acquisitions, including the proposal to buy six Boeing P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft, have also been put on hold. These were intended to supplement the 12 P-8I Poseidon aircraft already operated by the Indian Navy.
The internal approval for the now-delayed drone procurement from the Indian Ministry of Defence came in June 2023, a week prior to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington. During this time, the alleged conspiracy to assassinate Pannun, supposedly orchestrated by an Indian security official named CC1, intensified, as per a federal indictment made public in November.
The purchase is currently stalled in the US Congress due to concerns over the brazen assassination attempt on Pannun. US representatives have frozen the legislative progress required for advancing with the sale, according to a high-ranking source in Washington, operating at the upper echelons of US policymaking.
The delay in delivering these lethal, long-range weapons to India is attributed to the deep concerns of Indian-American lawmakers, particularly in light of the indictment of Nikhil Gupta, a key figure charged with conspiring to kill Pannun. Gupta is currently detained in the Czech Republic awaiting deportation to the US.
US federal prosecutors allege that Gupta pledged $100,000 to an FBI agent posing as a hitman to carry out the assassination in New York. He was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 30 at the request of the United States. On November 29, US federal prosecutors charged Gupta with murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, with a similar maximum sentence.
In a joint statement in December, five US Congress members of Indian origin, who received a classified briefing from the Biden administration on the federal indictment, emphasized the importance of a full investigation by India. They urged accountability for those responsible, including Indian government officials, and assurances that such incidents would not recur.
The lawmakers also warned of potential “significant damage” to the US-India partnership if the situation is not promptly and directly addressed by New Delhi.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
