Pannun case: US Senator says he backed India drone deal after ‘painstaking talks’ with Biden govt

A powerful US Senator has said he ended his objection to the USD 3.9 billion drone deal with India after months of “painstaking discussions” with the Biden administration which assured him that New Delhi is committed to investigating an alleged plot to assassinate a Khalistani separatist on American soil. Following the assurance from the administration, Senator Ben Cardin, Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, removed his objections to the deal.

The move led the State Department to notify Congress that the US Government has agreed to sell 31 armed drones to India at an estimated cost of USD 3.9 billion.
The US on Thursday approved the sale of 31 MQ-9B armed drones to India at an estimated cost of USD 3.99 billion, an acquisition that will bolster India’s capability to meet current and future threats by enabling unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance patrols in sea lanes of operation.

Under the deal, India will get 31 High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) UAVs, of which the Navy will get 15 SeaGuardian drones, while the Army and the Indian Air Force will get eight each of the land version – SkyGuardian.

Cardin, a Democrat, in a statement, said that he approved the deal only after the Biden administration assured him that the Indian government was committed to thoroughly investigating the situation and fully cooperating with the US Department of Justice’s investigation into the alleged Indian link to the foiled plot to kill separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. “As the Chairman of this committee, I fully intend to hold the Administration to these commitments,” Cardin, 80, said.
“My approval was the result of months of painstaking discussions. While I’m fully aware of the significance of this sale, for US national security and strategic interests, I have conveyed my concerns regarding the timing of this sale to administration officials,” Cardin said.

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