Tag: Trudeau

Who Was Karima Baloch? Trudeau’s Silence on Balochistan Activist’s Death Rings Loud Amid Nijjar Support

A vocal critic of the Pakistani military and Inter-Services Intelligence, Karima Baloch was granted asylum in Canada after being slapped with terrorism charges in Pakistan. (News18)

Canada’s support to Khalistani sympathiser Hardeep Singh Nijjar and the subsequent row with India over his killing has not only irked the latter but also the Baloch Human Rights Council of Canada (BHRC) which questioned the “lack of action” in the kidnapping and alleged murder of exiled Baloch human rights activist Karima Baloch in 2020.

Accusing Trudeau of playing politics and ignoring the death of Baloch, the BHRC, in a letter to the Canadian PM, noted that there had been “perceived inconsistencies” in his government’s response to the “mysterious death of Balochistan rights activist and protected individual, Karima Baloch, in December 2020, in Toronto”.

Claiming that there was a “stark contrast” with the Canadian government’s actions on the pro-Khalistan leader, the letter said that Trudeau’s “conspicuous silence regarding the high-profile, unexplained death of Karima Baloch stands in stark contrast to his impassioned speeches in the House of Commons and extensive media coverage concerning the shooting death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada”.

WHO WAS KARIMA BALOCH?
A Balochistan rights activist, Karima Baloch was fighting for the rights of the Balochistan people with the Pakistan government.

She was the first chair of the Baloch Students Organization (BSO-Azad), a political students’ body, and was known for raising the cause of forced disappearances among Baloch activists.

A vocal critic of the Pakistani military and Inter-Services Intelligence, Baloch was granted asylum in Canada after being slapped with terrorism charges in Pakistan.

In 2020, after going missing, Baloch was found dead in a river in Sweden, becoming the second Baloch activist to have died in exile that year.

WHAT HER FAMILY SAID
As cops ruled out foul play, Baloch’s husband Hammal Haider, also a Pakistani activist living in exile, had said: “I can’t believe that it’s an act of suicide. She was a strong lady and she left home in a good mood.”

He had added: “We can’t rule out foul play as she has been under threats. She left Pakistan as her home was raided more than twice. Her uncle was killed. She was threatened to leave activism and political activities but she did not and fled to Canada.”

CANADA’S RESPONSE
Unlike Nijjar’s case, where Trudeau did not shy away from escalating diplomatic tensions, Baloch’s death was brushed under the carpet and Canadian police ruled the death as “non-criminal” despite allegations of foul play.

“The circumstances have been investigated and officers have determined this to be a non-criminal death and no foul play is suspected,” said Toronto’s police department in a short statement.

THE NIJJAR ROW
Tensions flared between India and Canada following Trudeau’s explosive allegations of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar on his country’s soil on June 18 in British Columbia. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.

India angrily rejected the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated” and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa’s expulsion of an Indian official over the case. “Of course, there are credible allegations that we need to take extremely seriously as Canadians and indeed as a world,” Trudeau asserted when asked if the evidence suggested by him was extensive in the matter.

Source: https://www.news18.com/world/who-was-karima-baloch-trudeaus-silence-on-balochistan-activists-death-rings-loud-amid-nijjar-support-8590412.html

India-Canada Issue: Delhi Mulls ‘Cancelling’ Overseas Citizenship of Khalistanis on Radar; Jaishankar Takes Swipe At Trudeau

Members of United Hindu Front organisation shout slogans as they hold banners during a rally along a street in New Delhi on September 24, 2023, to condemn Justin Trudeau, Canada’s Prime Minister and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a lawyer believed to be based in Canada designated as a Khalistani terrorist by the Indian authorities (Image: AFP)

Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair has called Canada’s relationship with India “important”, and said his country will continue to pursue partnerships like the Indo-Pacific strategy while the investigation of the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar continues.

Canada had been seeking deeper trade, defence, and immigration ties with India before the “credible intelligence,” as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it, was first raised with Canadian officials, Global News reported.

In an interview aired on Sunday on The West Block, Blair suggested Canada will continue to pursue those partnerships while the investigation into allegations continues.

WHAT BLAIR SAID?
“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,” he said.

If the allegations are proven true, Blair said “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.”

The Minister further noted that the Indo-Pacific strategy was still a critical one for Canada and has led to an increased military presence in the region and commitments for further patrol capabilities.

Notably, the Indo-Pacific strategy commits USD 492.9 million over five years toward those military priorities, out of a total of nearly USD 2.3 billion over the same period.

INDIA-CANADA DIPLOMATIC ISSUE
Tensions flared between India and Canada following Trudeau’s explosive allegations of Indian agents’ “potential” involvement in the killing of Sikh separatist leader Nijjar on his country’s soil on June 18 in British Columbia.

India had designated 45-year-old Nijjar, the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), as a terrorist in 2020.

India has rejected the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated” and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa’s expulsion of an Indian official over the case.

On Thursday, India asked Canada to come down hard on terrorists and anti-India elements operating from its soil and suspended visa services for Canadians, as escalating tensions between the two nations over the killing of Nijjar pushed their ties to an all-time low. It also accused Canada of being a safe haven for terrorists.

India also asked Canada to downsize its diplomatic staff in the country, arguing that there should be parity in strength and rank equivalence in the mutual diplomatic presence. The size of Canadian diplomatic staff in India is larger than what New Delhi has in Canada.

Meanwhile, the United Hindu Front on Sunday held a protest against the Canadian PM at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, expressing their disapproval of Trudeau’s alleged support and protection of anti-India Khalistanis.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is in New York, also took a veiled dig at Canada. Speaking at a ministerial session titled ‘South Rising: Partnerships, Institutions and Ideas’ hosted by the Observer Research Foundation, Jaishankar said that it is still a world of “double standards” and those countries which are occupying positions of influence are resisting the pressure to change.

“In the name of the market, a lot of things are done, like in the name of freedom, a lot of things are done,” he said, hinting at Trudeau’s statements defending pro-Khalistan activities in Canada by citing freedom of speech.

In Canada, however, posters calling for the killing of Indian diplomats at a Gurdwara in Surrey were taken down after local authorities intervened amid Ottawa’s plummeting ties with India. According to sources, the Surrey Gurdwara was asked to remove the posters calling for the killing of three Indian diplomats after authorities realised the magnitude of the issue and the optics of such messaging originating from Canadian soil.

INDIA MULLS TO CANCEL OCI CARDS OF KHALISTANI TERRORISTS
After the National Investigation Agency (NIA) confiscated the properties of Canada-based ‘designated individual terrorist’ Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, it is learnt that the government has asked the investigative agencies to identify the properties of other terrorists wanted in India sitting abroad.

Sources privy to the matter said that the government has asked the agencies to identify the properties of the terrorists settled abroad.

 

Source: https://www.news18.com/india/india-canada-news-updates-canada-defence-minister-on-india-ties-justin-trudeau-hardeep-singh-nijjar-khalistani-killing-diplomatic-row-8589751.html

India-Canada Row: Trudeau Says Not Looking to ‘Cause Problems’; Urges New Delhi to Uncover Truth

Top intelligence sources reveal the Indian government had sought extradition of Hardeep Singh Nijjar several times but there was no cooperation from the Canadian authorities. He was even granted the Canadian citizenship after red notice in 2014. (Reuters File Photo)

Amid a raging diplomatic row with India over the killing of a Khalistani terrorist, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday that Ottawa is not looking to “provoke or cause problems” with New Delhi and urged it to work together to “uncover the truth.” Trudeau made these remarks on the sidelines of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

When asked about the diplomatic row between India and Canada, he said, “We call upon the government of India to take seriously this matter and to work with us to shed full transparency and ensure accountability and justice in this matter.” “We are a country of the rule of law. We are going to continue to do the work necessary to keep Canadians safe and to uphold our values and the international rules-based order. That’s our focus right now,” Trudeau added.

On measures taken by his government following India’s suspension of visa services for Canadians, Trudeau said that his government was not looking to provoke or cause problems. “There is no question that India is a country of growing importance and a country that we need to continue to work with, not just in the region but around the world. We’re not looking to provoke or cause problems. But we are unequivocal around the importance of the rule of law and unequivocal about the importance of protecting Canadians.

“That’s why we call upon the government of India, to work with us to establish processes to discover and to uncover the truth of the matter and to allow justice and accountability to be served,” he said.

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Tensions flared between India and Canada early this week following Trudeau’s explosive allegations of “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on his country’s soil on June 18 in British Columbia. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.

India rejected the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated” and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa’s expulsion of an Indian official over the case. “I’m saying and repeating what I said on Monday afternoon. Of course, there are credible allegations that we need to take extremely seriously…,” Trudeau asserted when asked if the evidence suggested by him in the matter was extensive.

“There are credible reasons to believe that agents of the government of India were involved in the killing of a Canadian on Canadian soil,” he said, repeating his allegation. “We have a rigorous and independent justice system and robust processes that will follow their course. We call upon the government of India to engage with us to move forward on getting to the truth of this matter,” he said.

Responding to another question, Trudeau said he had “a direct and frank conversation” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the New Delhi G20 summit on September 10 in which he shared his “concerns in no uncertain terms.” The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) earlier this week said that allegations made by the Canadian Prime Minister to Prime Minister Modi were completely rejected.

Responding to another question, Trudeau said it’s extremely important that as a country with a strong and independent justice system, we allow those justice processes to unfold themselves with the utmost integrity. “The decision to share these allegations on the floor of the House of Commons Monday morning was not done lightly. It was done with utmost seriousness..,” Trudeau said.

Source: https://www.news18.com/world/india-canada-row-trudeau-says-not-looking-to-cause-problems-urges-new-delhi-to-uncover-truth-8587139.html

Trudeau Rejects India’s Denial of Involvement in Assassination in Canada

“We are not looking to provoke or escalate,” Mr. Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa. “We are simply laying out the facts as we understand them, and we want to work with the government of India.”

As on Monday, when he first made his allegation in the House of Commons, the prime minister offered no details to support his charge that India was behind the shooting in June of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader, near a Sikh temple in suburban Vancouver, British Columbia. He has only cited “credible allegations,” which he said have been pursued by Canada’s security agencies for several weeks.

A Canadian government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information, said the intelligence had been gathered by multiple countries. Canada is a member of the so-called Five Eyes, an intelligence alliance that includes the United States, Britain and Australia. The Canadian security agencies, noting the continuing police investigation into the killing and the need to protect intelligence gathering methods, have declined to offer any more details.

A group of men outside the temple in Surrey, British Columbia, Monday, where Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot and killed in June.Credit…Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press, via Associated Press

The official said it is likely the intelligence will be made public when the investigations are complete. The government decided, the official said, to reveal the extraordinary allegation on Monday, Parliament’s first day back from its summer break, because of inquiries from journalists.

Once investigations are complete, the official said, it is likely that the specific findings behind Canada’s charge will be revealed.

India has long claimed that Canada is harboring Sikh terrorists plotting from abroad to fracture the Indian state by providing funding and working to create a separate Sikh nation called Khalistan that would include portions of India’s Punjab region.

Mr. Nijjar was active in that independence movement, and his participation featured prominently in India’s adamant denial of involvement in his killing.

As the foreign ministry of India said in a statement that it rejected “any attempts to connect the government of India” to Mr. Nijjar’s killing, it took the opportunity to admonish Canada, accusing it of sheltering “extremists and terrorists” who “continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Mr. Nijjar had been a key organizer in rallying community members in British Columbia to vote to establish Khalistan. The nonbinding vote, organized by a Washington, D.C.,-based nonprofit group called Sikhs For Justice, is being held in multiple cities around the world.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/19/world/canada/trudeau-india-canada-assassination.html#:~:text=As%20he%20headed%20into%20a,Trudeau%20told%20reporters%20in%20Ottawa

Modi conveys to Trudeau strong concerns over anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada

Modi also mentioned that a relationship based on ‘mutual respect and trust’ is essential for the progress of the India-Canada relationship, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Credit: PTI Photo

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday conveyed to his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau India’s strong concerns about the continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada that were promoting secessionism, inciting violence against its diplomats and threatening the Indian community there.

In his talks with Trudeau on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, Modi also mentioned that a relationship based on ‘mutual respect and trust’ is essential for the progress of the India-Canada relationship, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

‘The prime minister highlighted that India-Canada relations are anchored in shared democratic values, respect for rule of law and strong people-to-people ties,’ it said.

‘He conveyed our strong concerns about continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada. They are promoting secessionism and inciting violence against Indian diplomats, damaging diplomatic premises, and threatening the Indian community in Canada and their places of worship,’ it said.

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/india/modi-conveys-to-trudeau-strong-concerns-over-anti-india-activities-of-extremist-elements-in-canada-2680677

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