Canada and USA
The Canadian and the US officials worked with collaboration to ascertain the connection of Indian government’s involvement in murder of a Sikh leader in Canada.
A senior Canadian government official disclosed that Canada and the United States had a very close collaboration in investigating intelligence that suggested potential involvement of Indian operatives in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia earlier this year.
The assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, aged 45, in June had reportedly undergone a thorough investigation by domestic security agencies.
A Canadian official said, “We have been closely cooperating with the United States, including regarding the public disclosure made yesterday.”
The official also mentioned that Canada would provide the evidence it possesses in due course.
On Tuesday, Trudeau emphasized that the case had significant implications for international law. He urged the Indian government to take the situation seriously and support a comprehensive investigation by Canada.
India swiftly dismissed Trudeau’s assertion as baseless and announced the expulsion of a Canadian diplomat in retaliation for Canada’s expulsion of India’s top intelligence official on Monday.
Given New Delhi’s concerns about Sikh revolutionary activities in Canada, this controversy further strains an already tense diplomatic relationship between the two nations.
India’s involvement in murder of a Sikh leader is not a surprise for Pakistan
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Syrus Qazi stated that Canada’s allegations of India’s involvement in the killing of a Sikh leader was not surprise for Pakistan. He said that India had engaged in sabotage activities in Pakistan for decades.
Qazi addressed the media at Pakistan’s mission to the United Nations and asserted that if Canada’s prime minister accused India of being involved in Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s assassination, the claim could not be baseless.
He further noted that this statement was unsurprising, considering India’s history of attempting to destabilize Pakistan. Qazi also pointed out that Pakistan currently held a serving officer from the Indian navy in custody on charges of espionage and sabotage.
Qazi emphasized that if any country in the world understood India well, it was Pakistan.
Additionally, he confirmed that caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar would raise the Kashmir issue in his speech at the UN General Assembly.
