India rejects Justin Trudeau’s fresh statement on Hardeep Singh Nijjar killing

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rises during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 1

NEW DELHI: India on Thursday rejected fresh assertions by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about the involvement of Indian government agents in the killing of pro-Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, saying his remarks reflect the political space given in Canada to separatism and extremism.

Trudeau said at an interaction with the media on the margins of the Khalsa Day Parade in Toronto on April 28 that the killing of Nijjar last year was a “real problem” for the rules-based order and Canada’s relations with India.

Asked about the allegations at a regular media briefing, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “Prime Minister Trudeau has made those remarks earlier as well, it’s nothing new. His remarks, to us, illustrate once again the kind of political space that has been given in Canada to separatism, extremism and people who practice violence.”

He added, “This not only impacts India-Canada relations but also encourages a climate of violence and criminality in Canada to the detriment of its citizens.”

On Monday, the external affairs ministry summoned Canada’s deputy high commissioner Stewart Wheeler to register a strong protest against the shouting of pro-Khalistan slogans in the presence of Trudeau and other political leaders at the Khalsa Day Parade.

The event had banners in support of Khalistan and depicting India’s leaders as the “killers” of Nijjar, who had been declared a terrorist by New Delhi.

India-Canada relations hit an all-time low last September after Trudeau alleged there was a potential link between Indian government agents and the killing of Nijjar, who was gunned down outside a gurdwara in Surrey in June 2023.

During the media interaction, footage of which was aired by Canada’s Omni News, Trudeau said there are “credible reasons” to believe that Indian government agents were “involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil”. This, he said is a real problem for “the rules-based order and the principles of free open democracies and sovereignty that we stand for, and it’s also a problem in our relations with India”.

Canada’s intelligence and police agencies have done “very good and rigorous work” in their investigation into Nijjar’s killing and when the probe is concluded, there will be “some very, very clear things that everyone around the world, including in India, will see as to responsibilities and involvement”, Trudeau said.

Talking about pro-Khalistan protests in Canada, Trudeau said he understood the concerns of the Indian government about disagreeing with positions taken by Canadian citizens. “We are a free country, we allow for that freedom of expression and freedom to protest but we continue to make sure…that laws are obeyed, that violence is not encouraged or allowed,” he said.

However, Trudeau also said Canada and India should be able to get along but maintained that he cannot ignore the “problem” created with the killing of Nijjar.

“Canada and India are the world’s two largest democracies, us by size, them by population. And we should be able to get along,” Trudeau told the media soon after he addressed the Khalsa Day event, where he was greeted with shouts of “Khalistan Zindabad” from some elements in the crowd.

Amid the strong protest by India over the pro-Khalistan slogans at the event, Trudeau maintained: “We will always follow up when our fellow countries have expressed concerns about behaviour, about violence, about criminality. We take them seriously. What we will not do, however, is go after people because they’re saying things that the Indian government doesn’t like, things that the Indian government disagrees with.”

He asserted that Canada “always stood very strongly against terrorism, against violence, against intimidation”.

Trudeau described India as “an important partner” when it comes to people-to-people and business relations, as well as cooperation on international issues such as the climate crisis, but said Nijjar’s killing will continue to be a sticking point till the matter is resolved to Canada’s satisfaction.

“We want to get through this challenging situation but there needs to be accountability,” he said.

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