WASHINGTON/OTTAWA, Sept 22 (Portal) – The United States made clear on Friday that it expects the Indian government to cooperate with Canada in investigating the possible involvement of New Delhi agents in the killing of a Canadian citizen working together in June.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that Ottawa has credible intelligence linking Indian agents to the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, prompting an angry response from New Delhi, which denies the claim.
“We are deeply concerned about the allegations made by Prime Minister Trudeau,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in a news conference. “It would be important for India to cooperate with the Canadians in this investigation. We want to see accountability.”
The White House has expressed concern about the allegations, but Blinken is the most senior U.S. official to speak out so far.
Traditional Canadian allies, including the United States, appeared to tread cautiously on the issue earlier this week. Political analysts said this is partly because the United States and other major players see India as a counterweight to China’s growing influence.
“We have consulted very closely with our Canadian counterparts throughout and have not only consulted but also coordinated with them on this matter,” Blinken said.
During a press conference, Trudeau was asked about the allegations and he reiterated his call for the Indian government to cooperate.
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rises to make a statement in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, September 18, 2023. Portal/Blair Gable/File Photo Acquire License Rights
“We are here to work constructively with India. We hope they will work with us so we can get to the bottom of this very serious matter,” Trudeau said.
On Friday, Trudeau also said Canada had shared its concerns with New Delhi some time ago.
“Canada has shared with India the credible allegations I spoke about on Monday. We did that many weeks ago,” Trudeau told reporters.
The Canadian government has been gathering both human and signals intelligence in a months-long investigation into the killing of the Sikh separatist leader, CBC News reported separately on Thursday, citing sources.
The report said the intelligence included communications from Indian officials present in Canada, adding that some of the information was provided by an unidentified ally in the Five Eyes alliance.
Five Eyes is an information sharing network spanning the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
However, Trudeau has not provided any details about what Canadian intelligence agencies have collected, and his office has neither confirmed nor denied the CBC report.
Senior Canadian government sources said Trudeau would not have spoken publicly without a high level of trust in the intelligence community.
Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington and Steve Scherer in Ottawa; Additional reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Edited by Daniel Wallis and David Gregorio
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