Canada’s defence minister Bill Blair on Sunday termed the relationship with India as “important” and said that his country will continue to pursue partnerships like the Indo-Pacific strategy.
Tensions heightened between the two countries following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia.
India has rejected the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated”.
Canada will continue to pursue those partnerships while the investigation into allegations continues, calling the relationship with India “important”, said Blair in an interview aired on Sunday on The West Block by Global News.
“We understand that this can be, and has proven to be, a challenging issue with respect to our relationship with India,” he was quoted as saying by Global News. “But at the same time, we have a responsibility to defend the law, defend our citizens, and at the same time make sure that we conduct a thorough investigation and get to the truth.”
New Delhi expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa’s expulsion of an Indian official over the case.
In 2020, India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist.
Blair also said that if the allegations are proven true then “there is a very significant concern that Canada will have with respect to the violation of our sovereignty in the murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil.”
A sign outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara temple is seen after the killing on its grounds in June 2023 of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada September 18, 2023. REUTERS/Chris Helgren Acquire Licensing Rights
Canada worked “very closely” with the United States on intelligence that Indian agents had been potentially involved in the murder of a Sikh leader in British Columbia earlier this year, a senior Canadian government source said on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that domestic intelligence agencies were actively pursuing credible allegations tying New Delhi’s agents to the shooting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, in June.
“We’ve been working with the U.S. very closely, including on the public disclosure yesterday,” the source said. The evidence in Canada’s possession would be shared “in due course”, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information.
Trudeau on Tuesday told reporters that the case had far-reaching consequences in international law, and urged the Indian government to take the matter seriously and help Canada fully investigate the matter.
India quickly dismissed Trudeau’s assertion as absurd, and said it was expelling a Canadian diplomat, a tit-for-tat move after Canada expelled India’s top intelligence figure on Monday.
The dispute deals a fresh blow to diplomatic ties that have been fraying for years, with New Delhi unhappy over Sikh separatist activity in Canada.
“I would expect that normal discussions between the two governments will be difficult while this issue is being resolved,” said Roland Paris, Trudeau’s former foreign policy adviser and a professor of international affairs at the University of Ottawa.
Canadian PM Trudeau alleged that Indian agents were behind the fatal shooting of Khalistan Tiger Force chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The reports coming out of Canada were “concerning”, British MP reacted over Justin Trudeau’s charges.
Amid the sharp escalation in diplomatic tensions, triggered by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegation of Indian involvement in the killing of a Khalistani terrorist on its soil, British Labour Party MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi on Tuesday said many “anxious, angry and fearful Sikhs” from Slough and beyond have contacted him.
He added that the reports coming out of Canada were “concerning”.
Taking to his official handle on X, the British Labour MP posted, “Concerning reports coming from #Canada. Many #Sikhs from #Slough and beyond have contacted me; anxious, angry or fearful. Given Canadian PM Trudeau stated they’ve been working with close allies, we’re in touch with UK Gov to ensure justice is delivered.”
Many #Sikhs from #Slough and beyond have contacted me; anxious, angry or fearful.
Given Canadian PM Trudeau stated they’ve been working with close allies, we’re in touch with UK Gov to ensure justice is delivered.https://t.co/U4ceflJmHq
In an explosive charge on Monday, Canadian PM Trudeau alleged that Indian agents were behind the fatal shooting of Khalistan Tiger Force chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Addressing the Canadian Parliament on Monday (US local time), Trudeau claimed that his country’s national security officials had reasons to believe that “agents of the Indian government” carried out the killing of the Canadian citizen, who also served as the president of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara.
“Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” Trudeau said.
India, however, rejected the allegations, terming them “absurd” and “motivated”.
“We have seen and rejected the statement of the Canadian Prime Minister in their Parliament, as also the statement by their Foreign Minister,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in an official statement.
Ottawa and New Delhi expel diplomats as tensions escalate over the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
In a tit-for-tat move, India has expelled a senior Canadian diplomat, hours after Ottawa expelled a top Indian official as tensions escalate between the two countries over the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar earlier this year.
On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described in parliament what he called credible allegations that India was connected to Nijjar’s assassination in British Columbia state in June.
The Indian government dismissed the allegations as “absurd” and asked Canada instead to crack down on anti-India groups operating in its territory.
The row centres around the Sikh independence movement, commonly known as the Khalistan movement. India accuses Canada of sheltering Khalistani activists.
Here’s all you need to know:
What triggered the tensions?
Nijjar, 45, was shot dead outside a Sikh temple on June 18 in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a large Sikh population, three years after India had designated him as a “terrorist”.
Nijjar supported the demand for a Sikh homeland in India’s northern state of Punjab, the birthplace of the Sikh religion, which borders Pakistan. He was reportedly organising an unofficial referendum in India for an independent Sikh nation at the time of this death.
Trudeau on Monday said any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen was “an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty”.
On Tuesday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said allegations of India’s involvement in any act of violence in Canada are “absurd and motivated”.
It said the “unsubstantiated allegations” sought to shift focus away from “Khalistani terrorists and extremists who have been provided shelter in Canada”.
Indian authorities announced a cash reward last year for information leading to Nijjar’s arrest, accusing him of involvement in an alleged attack on a Hindu priest in India.
A sign outside a Sikh temple after Nijjar’s killing in Surrey, British Columbia [File: Chris Helgren/Reuters]Trudeau said he brought up Nijjar’s killing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Group of 20 (G20) Summit in New Delhi last week. He said he told Modi that any Indian government involvement would be unacceptable and that he asked for cooperation in the investigation.
“In the strongest possible terms, I continue to urge the government of India to cooperate with Canada to get to the bottom of this matter,” he said.
How did India respond?
The MEA dismissed the accusation that India was linked to Nijjar’s killing.
“Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” a ministry statement said.
On Tuesday, the foreign ministry said it had given a senior Canadian diplomat five days to leave the country, without disclosing his name or rank.
“The decision reflects the government of India’s growing concern at the interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities,” it said.
