OTTAWA, Sept 19 (Portal) – Canada is not trying to provoke India by claiming it is linked to the killing of a Sikh separatist leader but wants New Delhi to properly address the issue, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday.
Trudeau announced Monday that Canadian intelligence agencies are actively investigating credible allegations linking New Delhi agents to the June shooting of 45-year-old Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia, a rare attack of its kind in the world’s largest democracy .
India quickly dismissed the claim as absurd and said it would expel a Canadian diplomat, further deteriorating already poor diplomatic relations between the two G20 members.
After India’s denial, Trudeau was pressured by the conservative opposition to go public with the evidence he had.
Trudeau said Tuesday that Ottawa decided to speak now because “we wanted to make sure we had a solid foundation to understand what was going on… we wanted to make sure we took the time to speak with our allies.” speak.”
He told reporters that the case had far-reaching implications for international law.
“The Indian government must address this matter with utmost seriousness. We do this; “We don’t want to provoke or escalate,” he said.
The affair has derailed lengthy talks over a possible bilateral trade deal.
A source familiar with the situation said Canada’s Sept. 1 decision to pause talks and on Sept. 15 to postpone a major trade mission scheduled for next month was directly related to concerns over the killing.
The source said her identity was not known because she was not authorized to speak to reporters.
Canadian officials have so far refused to say why they believe India could be linked to Nijjar’s murder.
The evidence “will all be shared in due course,” said a senior Canadian government source, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation.
“The Prime Minister has not presented any facts. We need the evidence that allowed the prime minister to reach the conclusions yesterday,” Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre told reporters.
Canada has worked very closely with the U.S., including on Trudeau’s statement Monday about his country’s concerns about the killing, the government source said.
[1/5]Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada September 19, 2023. Portal/Blair Gable LICENSES
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Nijjar’s son Balraj, 21, said Tuesday he always suspected India was behind the murder, Canadian Broadcasting Corp reported.
“It was only a matter of time before the truth would come out,” he was quoted as saying.
Sikh and Muslim organizations welcomed Trudeau’s comments and called on his government to take swift action, including protecting endangered Sikhs in Canada and preventing Indian nationals linked to intelligence or human rights abuses from entering Canada, among others.
“To see a Canadian being attacked by a foreign country on Canadian soil – I think we cannot underestimate how shocking this news is,” Mukhbir Singh, board member of the World Sikh Organization of Canada, said at a news conference.
National Council of Canadian Muslims chief executive Stephen Brown, speaking alongside Singh, added: “This assassination was an attack on all of us as Canadians. That’s why we have to act.”
New Delhi, which pushed Ottawa to take action against anti-India elements, has long been unhappy with the activities of Sikh separatists in Canada.
Nijjar supported the creation of a Sikh homeland in the form of an independent so-called state of Khalistan in the northern Indian state of Punjab, the birthplace of the Sikh religion, which borders Pakistan. India labeled him a “terrorist” in 2020.
Canada has the largest Sikh population outside of Punjab. In the 2021 census, approximately 770,000 people reported Sikhism as their religion.
India was particularly sensitive to Sikh protesters in Canada. Some Indian analysts said Ottawa was not stopping them because Sikhs are a politically influential group
The US and Australia expressed “deep concern” about Canada’s allegations. U.S. authorities have asked India to cooperate in the investigation, a senior State Department official told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday.
Canada and India have sought to boost low levels of bilateral trade, which in 2022 was just C$13.7 billion ($10.2 billion) of Canada’s total of C$1.52 trillion. Both sides have announced that they will freeze the talks.
Britain, meanwhile, said it would continue trade talks with India despite the allegations.
($1 = 1.3415 Canadian dollars)
Reporting by David Ljunggren and Steve Scherer; additional reporting by Susan Heavey; Edited by Jonathan Oatis and Marguerita Choy
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