Beware of Americans bearing gifts.

"India's investigation into US claims of an attempted murder of a Khalistani separatist in New York found that rogue operatives not authorized by the government had been involved in the plot, according to senior officials." "New Delhi has informed US authorities about the findings from the government-appointed panel set up to probe the allegations." ET. Such haste is almost indecent because it was only in November 2023 that "Nikhil Gupta, 52, has been charged with murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years," as "US authorities said Gupta agreed to pay an assassin $100,000 to kill the Khalistani separatist leader living in New York City." ET. Hoping to apply a band-aid to the embarrassment, "An intelligence operative has been removed from his position and several others were reshuffled following an investigation into US claims of an alleged plot to kill Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun." HT. But, were the operatives "not authorized"? "Days after Canadian national public broadcaster CBC released a footage of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar's fatal killing, the Centre reportedly asked video streaming site YouTube to ban the video from viewing in India, a report claimed." ET. But why? "India has rejected allegations made by the Canadian government linking it to the assassination of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. In a statement, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) termed the allegations 'absurd' and 'motivated'." TOI. Why ban something which is absurd? Mystery. Also, why bend to US demands while dismissing Canadian claims? Maybe because the US is one of very few countries with which we have a positive trade balance. "US goods and services trade with India totaled an estimated $191.8 billion in 2022. Exports were $73.0 billion; imports were $118.8 billion. The US goods and services trade deficit with India was $45.7 billion in 2022." ustr.gov. On 20 March, "The US government recognizes Arunachal Pradesh as part of India and 'strongly opposes' any unilateral attempts to advance territorial claims in the northeastern Indian state that shares a border with China, the US State Department said." Reuters. The next day China "said it firmly opposes the US recognition of Arunachal Pradesh as part of India territory," and "also accused the US of 'instigating and using other countries' disputes' for selfish geopolitical interests." ET. Ominous. "A top US admiral has issued a stark warning about China's military and nuclear ambitions, indicating that Beijing is ramping up its military and nuclear capabilities to levels unseen since World War II," "highlighting China's readiness to invade Taiwan by 2027." ET. On the other hand, "An assessment by US intelligence agencies warns of a 'potential' armed conflict between India and China amid large troop deployments by both sides." HT. US President Joe Biden may have pledged to defend Taiwan against an attack by China  (Reuters) but would much prefer India to bear the brunt of a Chinese attack. US trade and support are welcome but we should remember the old adage of 'Beware of Greeks bearing gifts' (wikipedia). Or Americans.