In a development that could further see a decline in the India-Canada relationship, Canada on Monday expelled a top Indian diplomat after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s "credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar" remark. Trudeau said that Canadian intelligence agencies have been looking into the allegations after Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistan sympathizer, was gunned down on June 18 in the parking lot of Surrey Gurdwara Sahib in Brampton.
Trudeau added that he brought up the issue with PM Narendra Modi during the G20 Summit in New Delhi."Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty," he said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau makes a statement in the House of Commons: "Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar." #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/Y5BjnyTO7w
— Jordan Gowling (@GowlingJordan) September 18, 2023
Trudeau added that he urged the Indian government to cooperate in the investigation.
Meanwhile, Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said the head of Indian intelligence in Canada. has been expelled as a consequence of the ongoing developments, reported the AP.
"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,” Jolie said. “As a result we have expelled a top Indian diplomat," she was quoted as saying.
