Ottawa: Canada while confirming the involvement of Indian government in the killing of a Khalistan leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, on June 18, this year, has expelled its top diplomat from the country, in protest, and the matter has been taken up with the US President, Joe Biden, as well.
This was disclosed by none other than the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, himself and was later reconfirmed by the country’s Foreign Minister, Melanie Joly.
While speaking at the House of Commons in Ottawa, Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, said that Canadian security agencies had been actively pursuing credible a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Trudeau said that the country’s security agencies were investigating a link between the Indian government and the killing of the Khalistan leader.
Canada’s Foreign Minister, Melanie Joly said the country has expelled the Indian diplomat over the killing of the Khalistan leader.
The top Indian diplomat was expelled from Canada on Monday.
As a consequence of this, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said the head of Indian intelligence in Canada has been expelled. “If proven true, this would be a great violation of our sovereignty and of the most basic rule of how countries deal with each other,” Joly said. “As a consequence we have expelled a top Indian diplomat,” Joly said, as quoted by the foreign media.
She also said that Justin Trudeau had raised the matter with US President Joe Biden.
Trudeau said he had brought up the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 Summit as well.
“Canada has declared its deep concerns to the top intelligence security officials of the Indian government. Last week, at the G20, I brought them personally and directly to Prime Minister Modi in no uncertain terms,” the Canadian Prime Minister said.
“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,” he said.
Trudeau said he knows there are some members of the Indo-Canadian community who feel angry or frightened, and he called for calm.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Canada’s national security advisor and the head of Canada’s spy service have travelled to India to meet their counterparts and to confront the Indian intelligence agencies with the allegations. He called it an active homicide investigation.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Sikh leader of Khalistan movement, was killed in a targeted shooting on June 18 this year. Nijjar was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey.
In 2022, India’s dreaded National Investigation Agency (NIA) declared a Rs 10 lakh reward on Nijjar.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations against India in connection with the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in June, has sparked fresh tensions between the two countries.
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