New Delhi, Sept 19: Soon after Canada accused India's involvement in the killing of a Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, New Delhi has rejected as "absurd and motivated" Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's claim. Notably, Canada has also expelled a senior Indian diplomat over the issue.

 

With accusing India of killing a Khalistani terrorist and expelling a senior Indian diplomat on Monday, Canada is surely creating a diplomatic standoff augmenting the already souring relationship between the two nations.

 

 

"Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between Indian government agents and the murder of Khalistan Tiger Force chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June", Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in an emergency statement to the House of Commons on Monday.

 

He has raised his ‘deep concerns' on the matter while speaking in the legislature. Claiming that he raised those concerns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi ‘personally and directly’, Trudeau said killing of a Canadian citizen on the country's soil is an ‘unacceptable violation of our sovereignty’ adding "It is contrary to the fundamental rules by which free, open and democratic societies conduct themselves."

 

 

 

The startling accusation was followed by the Canadian foreign minister, Melanie Joly, stating that a high-ranking Indian diplomat has been expelled over the killing.

 

 

"The head of Indian intelligence in Canada has been expelled as a consequence. 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.”

 

It should be noted that Trudeau's remarks come after he and PM Modi had a tense meeting last week during the G20 summit in India. During the meeting, PM Modi had accused Canada of not doing enough to quell "anti-India activities of extremist elements", referring to the rise of the Sikh separatist movement on Canadian soil.

 

 

"We have seen and reject the statement of the Canadian Prime Minister in their Parliament, as also the statement by their Foreign Minister. Allegations of Government of India's involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd and motivated...We are a democratic polity with a strong commitment to rule of law," the statement said.

 

 

“Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The inaction of the Canadian Government on this matter has been a long-standing and continuing concern. That Canadian political figures have openly expressed sympathy for such elements remains a matter of deep concern. The space given in Canada to a range of illegal activities including murders, human trafficking and organised crime is not new. We reject any attempts to connect Government of India to such developments. We urge the Government of Canada to take prompt and effective legal action against all anti-India elements operating from their soil," MEA said.

 

 

Nijjar was a prominent Sikh leader in the province of BC and a vocal backer of a separate Khalistani state. Supporters of his have said that he was a target of threats in the past because of his activism.

 

India has previously said he was a terrorist and led a militant separatist group. Hailing from Bharsinghpur village in Punjab's Jalandhar, Nijjar was based in Surrey and had been declared "absconder" by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

 

In July last year, the NIA had announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh on Nijjar in connection with the killing of a Hindu priest in Jalandhar.