US court defers Nikhil Gupta sentencing in Pannun murder conspiracy case

Newdelhi,UPDATED: Aug 12, 2026 17:28 IST

A series of international developments involved India and the wider region, with a US federal court deferring the sentencing of Nikhil Gupta in the Gurpatwant Singh Pannun murder conspiracy case to November 20, and two US states proclaiming August 15 as "India Independence Day".

In other developments, Pakistan condemned the killing of three of its nationals in a Houthi attack on a commercial vessel in the Red Sea, and its Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met Iran's top leadership in Tehran to follow up on stalled US-Iran peace negotiations. Separately, a New York woman pleaded guilty in a smuggling conspiracy that brought people, mainly from India, into the US through the Canada border, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a nighttime operation had damaged a major Russian Black Sea naval base.

In Washington, a US federal court deferred the sentencing of Nikhil Gupta, who has pleaded guilty to plotting the assassination of Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The court will now announce the sentence on November 20.

In the US, New York and New Jersey proclaimed August 15 as "India Independence Day", recognising India's journey as an independent nation and the contribution of the Indian-American community.

In Islamabad, Pakistan on Wednesday condemned the killing of three Pakistani nationals in an attack on a commercial vessel by Yemen's Houthis in the Red Sea. It said such incidents pose a "serious threat" to freedom of navigation, maritime security and the safety of commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also held talks in Tehran with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to revive mediation efforts and follow up on stalled US-Iran peace negotiations, according to media reports.

In New York, a woman pleaded guilty to her role in an international smuggling conspiracy that illegally brought people, primarily from India, into the United States across its northern border through Canada.

In Kyiv, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian anti-ship missiles, jet-powered aerial drones and sea drones carried out a "unique" nighttime blitz on a major Russian naval base on the Black Sea coast, damaging what he described as Russia's Black Sea naval stronghold.

Taken together, the developments ranged from a US court decision in the Pannun case and recognition of India's Independence Day in two American states to regional security moves involving Pakistan, a smuggling case in New York, and Ukraine's latest claim of damage to a key Russian naval base.

With PTI Inputs

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