Critical That Canadian Probe Proceeds: US On India Canada Tensions
Mumbai: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US is deeply concerned about Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s allegations of India’s involvement in Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing.
Following Trudeau’s incendiary claims of the “potential” participation of Indian spies in the murder of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia on June 18, tensions between India and Canada erupted early this week. In 2020, India deemed Nijjar to be a terrorist.
Angrily rejecting the accusations as “absurd” and “motivated,” India swiftly expelled a senior Canadian ambassador in retaliation for New Delhi’s decision to expel an Indian official over the matter.
Blinken stated, “We are deeply concerned about the allegations that Prime Minister Trudeau has raised,” during a press conference held here on Friday. With our Canadian colleagues, we have been closely consulting and coordinating on this problem the entire time. Furthermore, we believe that the Canadian probe must continue.
His comments follow the US’s declaration on Thursday that it supports Canada’s attempts to look into claims that India was involved in the killing of Nijjar, noting that no nation can receive a “special exemption” for such actions.
Although Ottawa hasn’t yet made any of its assertions publicly available, a media article quoting Canadian government sources said that Ottawa’s claims are supported by both human and signal intelligence as well as inputs from a partner in the Five Eye intelligence network.
In an appeal to New Delhi to treat the situation “extremely seriously” and cooperate with Ottawa in order to “uncover the truth,” Prime Minister Trudeau said on Thursday that Canada is not seeking to “provoke or cause problems” with India.
India banned visa services for Canadians and urged Canada to crack down severely on terrorists and anti-Indian elements operating from its territory.
India has requested that Canada reduce the size of its diplomatic mission there, stating that both countries’ diplomatic missions should be of comparable size and rank. Greater than New Delhi’s diplomatic staff in Canada is Canada’s diplomatic staff in India.
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