NewsRescue
On Tuesday, New Delhi dismissed the Canadian government’s “absurd” claims that Indian spies were involved in the execution of Khalistan separatist movement leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen.
The Canadian government expelled a senior Indian diplomat on Monday as part of an inquiry into what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called as plausible claims that the Indian government was involved in the killing of a Khalistan activist. Nijjar, an ardent supporter of the Khalistan movement, which seeks an independent Sikh nation in India’s Punjab area, was assassinated on June 18 in Surrey, British Columbia, outside a Sikh cultural centre.
On Monday afternoon, Trudeau issued an urgent address to Parliament, warning members that Canada’s security services had been compromised.
Allegations of [the] Government of India’s involvement in any act of violence in Canada are ludicrous, according to a statement issued by the Indian Foreign Ministry.
It went on to say that “such unsubstantiated allegations seek to divert attention away from Khalistani terrorists and extremists who have found refuge in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” The Canadian government’s silence on this issue has long been a source of concern.”
According to New Delhi, the fact that Canadian government figures “openly expressed sympathy for such elements” is a source of “deep concern.”
“The space given in Canada to a range of illegal activities including murders, human trafficking and organized crime is not new. We reject any attempts to connect Government of India to such developments. We urge the Government of Canada to take prompt and effective legal action against all anti-India elements operating from their soil,” the statement read.
Earlier on Monday, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly ordered the expulsion of the chief of Indian intelligence in Canada due to India’s alleged involvement in the attack. “If proven true, this would be a great violation of our sovereignty and the most basic rule of how countries deal with each other,” Joly told the Associated Press.
The announcement comes just days after Canada cancelled a trade trip to India and the Indian government confirmed that important trade talks between the two countries had been halted due to “certain issues.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed “strong concerns” to Trudeau about Canada’s response to Khalistan activity at the G20 leaders summit in New Delhi, according to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
