U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar address the media while meeting at the State Department in Washington, United States, on September 28, 2023. Portal/Leah Millis Acquire License Rights
WASHINGTON/OTTAWA, Sept 28 (Portal) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on India to cooperate with a Canadian investigation into the murder of a Sikh separatist during a meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Thursday, a U.S. official said .
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who alleged Indian involvement in the killing, said Thursday in Quebec that he was sure Blinken would raise the issue with Jaishankar.
India has dismissed Canada’s allegations as absurd and relations are strained as both governments expel a diplomat in a mutual settlement.
“Blinken raised the Canadian issue at his meeting and called on the Indian government to cooperate with Canada’s investigation,” the U.S. official said, although a State Department statement did not mention the issue.
Trudeau told Parliament earlier this month that Canadian government agents were suspected of being linked to the June killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia province.
Nijjar was a Canadian citizen, but India had declared him a “terrorist.” He supported the cause of Khalistan or an independent homeland for Sikhs to be carved out of India.
Traditional Canadian allies, including the United States, appear to be treading cautiously on the issue. Political analysts say this is partly because Washington and other major players see India as a counterweight to China’s growing influence.
Blinken met Jaishankar in Washington on Thursday afternoon. Asked directly whether Blinken would raise the case, Trudeau replied: “The Americans will certainly discuss this matter with the Indian government.”
The US State Department’s formal statement on its website following Blinken’s meeting with his Indian counterpart made no mention of the Nijjar killing or Canada as a whole.
In a brief State Department summary of the topics discussed at the meeting between Blinken and Jaishankar, officially called a “readout”, points such as India’s G20 presidency, the creation of a corridor between India, the Middle East and Europe were mentioned as well as topics such as defense, space and clean energy.
Jaishankar said on Tuesday that New Delhi had informed Canada that it was ready to consider any “specific” or “relevant” information it provided on the killing.
Trudeau, who has yet to make any evidence public, said last week that he had shared the “credible allegations” with India “many weeks ago.”
Blinken and U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said last week that the United States was “deeply concerned” about the allegations made by Trudeau.
The US ambassador to Canada told Canadian television that some information on the case had been collected by the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which includes the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Humeyra Pamuk in Washington and David Ljunggren in Ottawa. Editing by Chris Reese, Nick Zieminski, Michael Perry and Simon Cameron-Moore
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