Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a provocative announcement to the Canadian parliament on Monday that is likely to send Ottawa's relations with Delhi spiralling but will also negatively impact India's international position.
It is claimed that Canadian security agencies have obtained credible intelligence, implicating the Indian government in the killing of a pro-Khalistan leader in British Columbia, Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 2023.
Trudeau's accusation was later followed by an official announcement from Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, saying that a senior Indian diplomat had been expelled by Canada.
In recent weeks, credible allegations of potential links between Indian government agents and the murder of Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, have been actively pursued by Canadian security agencies. , as Mr. Trudeau said in the House of Commons. He added that he had raised the issue with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi "clearly". It is asserted that any foreign government's involvement in the murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil constitutes an unacceptable violation of the country's sovereignty.
Currently, no evidence to support Canada's claim that the Indian government was involved in Nijjar's murder has been made public by the Canadian government. Joly's office revealed that the expelled Indian diplomat was Pavan Kumar Rai, identified as the head of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India's foreign intelligence agency, in Canada. He served as an officer in the Indian Police Service in 1997 and was posted to Ottawa as Minister (Ecology, Coordination, Community Affairs) at the Indian High Commission.
In response, on Sunday morning, India also expelled a "senior Canadian diplomat" and asked him to leave India within five days. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has increasingly expressed concern about interference by Canadian diplomats in their internal affairs and their participation in anti-India activities.
In a statement issued Tuesday morning, India's Ministry of External Affairs rejected the allegations made by the Canadian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, calling them absurd and motivated. The statement confirmed Trudeau's claim that he had discussed the allegation with Modi and said similar allegations had been made by the Canadian prime minister to the Indian prime minister and were completely rejected.
India also alleged that Canada sympathized with Khalistan terrorists and was trying to divert attention from the real issue of these allegations. The statement noted that such baseless allegations are intended to divert attention from Khalistan terrorists and extremists, who have taken refuge in Canada and continue to threaten India's sovereignty and territorial integrity. He expressed deep concern that Canadian political figures were publicly expressing sympathy for such elements.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, founder of the Khalistani terrorist group Khalistan Tiger Force, was shot dead on June 18 outside a Sikh cultural centre in Surrey, British Columbia. The strained relationship between India and Canada is evident due to the increasing activities of Khalistani extremists in Canada, including vandalism at Hindu temples and controversial protests involving the assassination of Indira Gandhi.
During a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after the G20 summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised India's concerns over the continuing anti-India activities of extremists in Canada, who promoting separatism and inciting violence against Indian diplomats, as well as threatening India. community in that country.
Tensions between the two countries have escalated, with Canada indefinitely postponing its trade mission to India, a decision that was communicated to Indian officials through the media. Trade negotiations with Canada have been suspended by New Delhi until subversive activities on Canadian territory cease.
Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a pro-Khalistani separatist organisation, held a controversial referendum on September 12 at a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, immediately after PM Modi expressed his concerns to Trudeau in New Delhi. Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, a designated terrorist and founder of the proscribed SFJ, was present at the contentious gurdwara exercise.
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