OTTAWA – Canada said Monday it had credible information linking Indian government agents to the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia in June and said it had expelled a senior Indian intelligence official.
The announcement marks a significant worsening of bilateral relations at a time when India is already unhappy that Canadian authorities are not cracking down on Sikh protesters who want their own independent homeland.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said any involvement by a foreign government in the murder of a Canadian citizen was “an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty.”
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was shot and killed outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18.
Nijjar supported a Sikh homeland in the form of an independent Khalistani state and was designated by India as a “terrorist” in July 2020, Indian newspaper The Tribune said.
“Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Indian government” and Nijjar’s death, Trudeau said in an emergency statement to the House of Commons.
A sign is seen outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara temple after the June 2023 assassination of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on its grounds, in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, September 18, 2023.REUTERS
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses the House of Commons on Monday.AP
“Canada has expressed its deep concern to the Indian government’s top intelligence and security officials.
Last week at the G20, I took it personally and directly to Prime Minister Modi in very clear terms.”
India’s high commission (embassy) in Ottawa did not respond to requests for comment.
New Delhi said last week that Modi had conveyed to Trudeau his serious concern about protests in Canada against India.
People walk under a sign outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara temple after the murder on its grounds of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.REUTERS
Canada has the largest population of Sikhs outside their home state of Punjab in India, and the country has been the site of many protests that have irritated India.
Canada is home to one of the largest communities of Indian origin abroad, numbering approximately 1.4 million out of a total Canadian population of 40 million. About 770,000 people reported Sikhism as their religion in the 2021 census.
The two countries, which earlier this year said they could agree on the outlines of a trade deal by the end of 2023, have now frozen talks on the deal. Canada gave few details, while India cited “certain political developments.”
A sign outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara temple. REUTERS
Bilateral trade in 2022 amounted to just 13.7 billion Canadian dollars out of a total of 1.52 trillion Canadian dollars, according to Statistics Canada.
Trudeau did not directly accuse India of definitely being involved, and Foreign Minister Melanie Joly later used more cautious language, saying that “if proven true,” the allegations would be unacceptable.
Joly told reporters that Ottawa had expelled the Indian intelligence chief in Canada, but gave no further details.
“In the strongest possible terms, I continue to urge the government of India to cooperate with Canada to get to the bottom of this matter,” Trudeau said.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said several senior Canadian government officials had recently visited India to express Ottawa’s concerns.
In April, India asked Britain for greater control over UK-based supporters of a Sikh separatist movement. New Delhi was angered after protesters carrying “Khalistan” banners tore down the Indian flag from the diplomatic mission building in London.
Reporting by David Ljunggren and Steve Scherer; Editing by Mark Porter, William Maclean and Sandra Maler
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Source: vtt.edu.vn