There have been accusations by US prosecutors backed up the FBI that Indian officials were involved in trying to get a pro-Khalistan, separatist extremist assassinated. It is extremely unfriendly especially with an Indian government that puts a premium on having good relations on security with Washington,
On FBI charges, it is good to look at its history of entrapment and in more general terms, the malfeasance of a current politically oriented FBI and certain US prosecutorial activities. Before going further into this piece, it needs to be stated this is not a harangue against what is largely a splendid, real crime fighting organization and its counterpart in Canada, the RCMP dealing with courage with the vast majority of authentic crimes they investigate. I also take this opportunity to salute India’s many security agencies, including the National Investigating Agency.
But the FBI at the top levels, in particular better needs to know when it seems to have got too mixed up with bad politics. For example, The FBI getting and carrying out a FISA warrant with no solid grounds to investigate the Trump electoral campaign team for colluding with Russia over the US 2016 US presidential election, is a horrible violation.There should be a sacrosanct separation of and independence from politics and such bias in general from both the US Justice department and the FBI. Has there been so with recent charges against India?
Next is the case of the entrapment by the FBI of a right wing group (pro-Trump) the Wolverine Watchmen of possible unsavory views. They, overall appear not to be so criminal to have been really for the idea to kidnap the US Michigan state governor.and overthrow her government. From the Guardian, UK, “When they (Wolverine Watchmen) were arrested the case seemed a slam dunk. But as more evidence has unfolded and the trial has begun, a different narrative has emerged. Far from being a dedicated bunch of coup-plotters, their attorneys argue, the Wolverine Watchmen are hapless victims of FBI entrapment who had been induced by paid informants to commit crimes they would not otherwise have considered.” Oops!
Can Indians and others learn from this in regards to recent charges against India. And that when Justin Trudeau, Canadian PM talks of evidence being provided by the Five Eyes, he is really talking about this same FBI that just charged India. And the same organization that handled the politically charged case of the Wolverine Watchmen..)Oops, again.
Then, there is the reaction by the FBI to the Jan 6 protestors who stormed the US Congress, even some who were just in the vicinity. Without going into full details but now with the complete video recording of the inside the Congress that day, it is clearer the FBI wants to incarcerate many who had no intentions of overthrowing the US government and were not violently involved. Should some of the leaders be put in jail for willful and planned insurrection, violence and destruction of public property, likely so? But there is a number, who were evidenced by Tucker Carlson, top journalist, who did little or nothing and had been charged and/or been jailed. And even a top representative of a national council of US marshalls televised on FOX news wonders about a number of those protestors being jailed while US national security is thrown to the “wolves” by the security department authorities leadership having an essentially open border mentality to millions entering the US illegally from Mexico. So, where are these security officials on Khalistan,extremists, as well – open borders, too, like their “kinfolk” led by Trudeau?
Now given many Washington insiders see the Modi government not as on enough board with the US Hegemony positions be it on sanctions, Ukraine, NATO and beyond, is FBI HQ along with its anti-India US legislators happy to try and undermine the Modi government and the BJP movement, all done not far before Indian elections!
Let us face it, many key top US prosecutors are backed up by George Soros and “associates” with his Open Society election financing of these US government lawyers’ campaigns. And George Soros types want India’s duly-elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi defeated, like yesterday. Not surprising, the accusations on India looking at assassinating a Khalistan extremist come out of the US Southern District, of New York. A US Justice office headed by a prosecutorial attorney whose election campaigns are well- financed by George Soros, Wall Street financier. One may remember this billionaire is politically and publicly hostile to PM Modi. And according to S Jaishankar, India’s foreign minister, he considers Soros having dangerous views undermining India integrity and overly interfering in elections. Oops!
Surely, Washington can appreciate India’s attitude and be more preventive than it did before 9/1I, another shocking absence of action against deadly terrorists along with Ottawa’s dealing with the Air India disaster. That is instead of trying to undermine India’s fight against terrorism iby certain US politicized figures against the Modi government.
Rather, it is better to recognize that consistent to the great, noble thinker, Mahatma Gandhi , if India did not counter threats to its sovereignty and violent ones, it could be considered guilty of cowardice. This is when a very aggrieved party (or its supporters) that has the capacity to oppose and by doing something practical, instead does nothing to stop its oppressor from victimizing it, especially grossly. In this case, as India, overall is the primary victim, New Delhi follows this Gandhian thinking well.
Additionally, given India being the largest democracy in a positive security partnership with the Quad, including the US and generally good relations between the two countries, hopefully Washington has no intention of going limp on countering Khalistan terrorism and gangsterism. This is appreciated nowadays as the US has many resources preoccupied and dedicated to a focus on the Middle East and Ukraine. Khalistan extremism, too not only such from ISIS types deserves meaningful and fair attention.
One thing is getting more certain. Democracies, especially the US are more often projecting themselves in extra-jurisdictional unfriendly, even unacceptable ways. The case of the previous German chancellor’s private phone calls being monitored by the US was case in point. A more major obvious one was the demolition, likely by US orders of the European, partly owned, major Nord Stream pipeline.The German government not protesting even a whimper, provides bad precedence of one, so-called democracy doing major physical and other destruction to another without permission? Worrisome indeed.
So is the FBI and the US prosecutorial offices part of, or supportive of such a trend. Despite this, India should not overreact to all this possible chicanery and inaction on Khalistan by powerful elements within fellow democracies. This is important as it reinforces the country’s image as wise and peace seeking as it truly is under the current government and it’s friends.
Peter Dash writes in geopolitics