Pannun 'murder plot': Time for the West to harmonise unwritten codes

This seems to be the season for high drama. The US Justice Department's release of an indictment against an Indian national on the charge of being hired to murder a US citizen in New York City has caused waves in the media. The whole thing reads rather like a script from a cheap spy thriller, with the main actor, the alleged Indian agent, overplaying his part. It is serious, not so much of itself, but because of the publicity that has surrounded the whole bizarre series of incidents that began with the Canadian prime minister's wild accusations. The US makes…