Prime Minister Justin Trudeau believes that ties with India have taken a turn amid the Pannun ‘murder’ row. The Canadian leader sparked a diplomatic row earlier this year after asserting that his country was pursuing ‘credible allegations’ that linked Indian government agents to the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The remarks also come in the wake of allegations that an Indian official led a plot to murder a Sikh separatist leader on US soil.
“I think there is a beginning of an understanding that they can’t bluster their way through this and there is an openness to collaborating in a way that perhaps they were less open before. There’s an understanding that maybe, maybe just churning out attacks against Canada isn’t going to make this problem go away,” Trudeau told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp during a recent interview.
Indian officials have vehemently rejected the Canadian leader’s assertions and
The ties between India and Canada came under severe strain following Trudeau’s allegations on September 18 of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.
India rejected Trudeau’s allegations as “absurd” and “motivated”.
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he senses a change in India’s tone with Ottawa after the United States warned New Delhi about its involvement in a thwarted plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader on U.S. soil, the CBC reported on Wednesday.
Trudeau announced Sept. 18 that Canadian intelligence agencies were pursuing credible allegations linking Indian government agents to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader, 45-year-old Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in British Columbia in June, upending diplomatic ties between the two nations.
The U.S. Justice Department in November charged a man accused of orchestrating an unsuccessful plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist – a U.S. citizen of Indian origin living in New York City, alleging that an Indian government official directed the plan. U.S. officials did not name the targeted person.
After the U.S. revelations, Canadian officials pressed India to cooperate in its investigation of the June murder, which drew renewed attention to the movement for a Sikh homeland in northern India.
New Dehli had angrily rejected Canada’s claim, sparking a diplomatic row, with both sides expelling diplomats and trade talks potentially destabilized. By contrast, India said it was taking the U.S. indictment seriously and investigating.
Both the United States and Canada are seeking to build better ties with India to counter Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
“We don’t want to be in a situation of having a fight with India right now over this. We want to be working on that trade deal. We want to be advancing the Indo-Pacific strategy,” Trudeau told the CBC.
“But it is foundational for Canada to stand up for people’s rights, for people’s safety, and for the rule of law. And that’s what we’re going to do,” Trudeau said.
(Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Mark Porter)
(With inputs from agencies)
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Published: 20 Dec 2023, 09:58 PM IST