Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau has accused India of making a massive blunder that Canada could not ignore if Delhi’s brains were behind the death of a Sikh separatist leader last year on Canadian soil.
Two days ago, Canadian officials accused India of being responsible for homicides, extortions, and other violent acts targeting Indian Sikh nonconformists/separatists on Canadian soil to suppress their movements.
After Canada leveled these accusations, both countries expelled 6 top diplomats and representatives each, increasing the already strained tensions between the two.
On Monday, India rejected all the allegations as pointless and accused Justin Trudeau of pleasing Canada’s Sikh community for his political gain. On Wednesday India hit back again and called Trudeau’s behavior cavalier.
India’s foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a press conference that Justin Trudeau statements on India are allegations without any supporting evidence.
He further added that the responsibility for the damage caused to the diplomatic relationship between India and Canada solely lies with Prime Minister Trudeau alone.
Prime Minister Trudeau’s take on Nijjar’s killing and impact on India-Canada relations
All these tensions started with Hardeep Singh Nijjar killing happened in June 2023. During a public inquiry into foreign interferences in Canadian politics, Trudeau criticized India’s response to the investigation of the murder.
His speeches made it clear that Prime Minister Trudeau held India responsible and believed Delhi was involved in the Nijjar killing. That was when he stated that Canada needed to take the International rule of law more seriously.
Separatist Nijjar was shot and killed in British Columbia. He had been an active supporter of the Khalistan movement, which demanded a separate Sikh homeland, and publicly campaigned in Canada for it.
Police have since charged four Indian nationals in connection with the case. Trudeau stated that Canada had credible allegations linking Indian government officials and agents to the murder.
Prime Minister Trudeau further alleged that India’s approach was merely to criticize him, his government, and their democracy. On Wednesday, he also added more details to allegations released by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The RCMP has taken the unusual step of publicly sharing details about ongoing investigations, claiming a significant threat to public safety. They said that the threats particularly targeted members of the pro-Khalistan movement.
India has firmly denied these allegations even though investigations have reportedly uncovered criminal activities linked to government agents. Indian officials clarified that Canada has not provided any evidence to substantiate its claims.
International involvement in India-Canada relations
In light of the recent claims, both the UK and the US have called on India to cooperate with Canada’s legal proceedings. It is a known fact that the Five Eyes alliance is watching India Canada relations closely.
The British Foreign Office stated it is in contact with Ottawa regarding the serious developments from the investigations in Canada, expressing confidence in Canada’s judicial system and urging India to collaborate with Canadian authorities.
Meanwhile, a US State Department spokesperson noted that India has not engaged with Canadian authorities as anticipated, emphasizing that the allegations are serious and require serious attention.
Canada’s Foreign Minister, Melanie Joly, has confirmed that they are in close communication with the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, comprising the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, on this issue.
These Canadian allies unanimously expressed their vocal support for Ottawa’s deeper investigation into the alleged connection between the Indian government and the killing of pro-Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
This week, both the UK and the US officially urged the Indian government to cooperate with the Canadian inquiry. As of now, Indian officials have not responded to these calls for collaboration.