Canada’s charges serious: Five Eyes allies US, New Zealand on its row with India

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, October 16, 2024: India is not cooperating with Canada on its investigation into the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, last year, the US claimed on Tuesday. The remark by State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller comes amid a deepening diplomatic row between Delhi and Ottawa.

India has strongly rejected Canada’s assertion that it had shared credible evidence of Indian involvement in the Nijjar case. India has called the allegations "preposterous", accusing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of pandering to Canada’s large Sikh community for political gain.

"When it comes to the Canadian matter, we have made clear that the allegations are extremely serious, and they need to be taken seriously. We wanted to see the government of India cooperate with Canada in its investigation. Obviously, they have not chosen that path," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.

"Prime Minister Trudeau’s hostility to India has long been in evidence. In 2018, his visit to India, which was aimed at currying favour with a vote bank, rebounded to his discomfort. His Cabinet has included individuals who have openly associated with an extremist and separatist agenda regarding India. His naked interference in Indian internal politics in December 2020 showed how far he was willing to go in this regard," the Ministry of External Affairs said.

New Zealand, too, chimed in on Canada’s allegations against India, becoming the second of the ’Five Eyes’ countries to comment on the ongoing row over the killing of Nijjar between the two nations.

Winston Peters, New Zealand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, said the "alleged criminal conduct outlined publicly by Canadian law enforcement authorities, if proven, would be very concerning".

"At the same time, we do not comment on the details of ongoing criminal investigations, in New Zealand or abroad, other than to note that it is important that the rule of law and judicial processes be respected and followed," he said.

Meanwhile, India has accused Canada of harbouring those with links to organised crime. In May this year, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar criticised the Canadian immigration policy after the arrest of three Indian nationals allegedly linked to Nijjar killing.

"A number of people with organised crime links from Punjab have been made welcome in Canada. We have been telling Canada that look, these are wanted criminals from India, you have given them visas. But the Canadian government has not done anything," Jaishankar said.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed in Surrey in June last year and Prime Minister Trudeau has accused India of being complicit in his assassination.

Rejecting the allegations, India not only called back its High Commissioner from Canada but also expelled six of its diplomats from New Delhi.