India accuses Trudeau of ‘damaging’ relations amid diplomatic tensions with Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of making a “huge mistake” that Canada cannot ignore if Delhi was behind the death of a Sikh separatist leader last year on Canadian soil.
Trudeau commented two days after Canadian officials accused India involving murders, extortion and other acts of violence targeting Indian dissidents on Canadian soil.
After Canada leveled the accusations on Monday, both countries expelled envoys and top diplomats, ratcheting up already tense tensions.
India has dismissed the allegations as “absurd” and accused Trudeau of pandering to Canada’s large Sikh community for political gain.
On Wednesday, India angrily hit back again, calling Trudeau’s behavior “cavalier.”
“Canada has not presented us with any evidence to support the serious allegations it has chosen to level against India and its diplomats,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a press conference. hand over to India”.
“Responsibility for the damage this cavalier behavior has caused to India-Canada relations lies solely with Prime Minister Trudeau.”
In his remarks to the public inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian politics, Trudeau criticized India’s response to the investigation into the June 2023 murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
According to Trudeau, he was briefed on the killing later that summer and received intelligence that made it “extremely clear” that India was involved in the killing.
He said Canada must take seriously any allegations of violations of its sovereignty and international law.
Mr. Nijjar was shot and killed in Surrey, British Columbia. He has been a vocal supporter of the Khalistan movement, which demands a separate homeland for the Sikhs, and has openly campaigned for it.
However, at the time, Canadian intelligence had no solid evidence, Mr. Trudeau told the inquiry.
Police have since charged four Indian nationals over Mr Nijjar’s death.
Trudeau said he hoped to handle the issue “responsibly” so as not to “explode” the bilateral relationship with an important trading partner, but Indian officials rejected the request Canadian assistance in the investigation.
“It is clear that the Indian government’s approach is to criticize us and the integrity of our democracy,” he said.
Shortly after he went public with the allegations, in September of that year he said that Canada had “credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to the murder.
The prime minister also added more details Wednesday about further charges brought this week by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
The police force has taken the rare step of publicly releasing information about multiple ongoing investigations “due to a significant threat to public safety” in Canada.
The RCMP on Monday said there had been “more than a dozen credible and imminent threats to life,” which were “in particular” focused on members of the pro-Khalistan movement.
According to the RCMP, subsequent investigations led police to uncover the alleged criminal activity orchestrated by agents of the Indian government.
Trudeau said the force made the announcement with “the goal of disrupting the chain of activity that leads to drive-by shootings, home invasions, violent extortion and even murder” in the South Asian community across Canada.
India has vehemently denied all allegations and asserted that Canada has provided no evidence to support its claims.
The RCMP and national security advisers traveled to Singapore last weekend to meet with Indian officials — a meeting the RCMP said was fruitless.
After Monday’s allegations from Canadian officials, Britain and the United States called on India to cooperate with Canada’s legal process.
On Wednesday, the British Foreign Office said in a statement that it was in contact with Ottawa “about the serious developments outlined in independent investigations in Canada.”
The United Kingdom has full confidence in Canada’s judicial system,” the statement added.
“The Government of India’s cooperation with the Canadian legal process is the right next step.”
The US, another close ally of Canada, says India is not cooperating with Canadian authorities as the White House had hoped.
“We have made clear that the allegations are extremely serious and they should be taken seriously,” spokesman Matthew Miller said at a State Department press conference on Tuesday. We would like to see the Indian government cooperate with Canada in the investigation.”
“Obviously they didn’t choose that path.”
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said Ottawa is in close contact with the Five Eyes intelligence alliance – including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – on this issue.
