India called Justin Trudeau’s accusations that his country had killed a Sikh separatist leader on Canadian soil reckless. New Delhi accuses Canada of harboring extremists.
India accused the Canadian Prime Minister of recklessness this Thursday by saying that New Delhi violated Canadian sovereignty with the murder in Vancouver, in 2023, of a Sikh separatist leader, attributed by Ottawa to the Indian secret services.
“Responsibility for the damage this reckless behavior has caused to India-Canada relations lies solely with the Prime Minister, [Justin] Trudeau,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said.
The head of the Canadian Government stated on Wednesday, in a parliamentary hearing, that There are “clear signs” that India did not respect Canada’s sovereignty promoting the assassination of a separatist leader.
Canada and India face a diplomatic crisis. Assassination of Sikh separatist leader at center of dispute
Canada’s federal police, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, announced on Monday that it had evidence of the “involvement of agents of the Government of India in serious criminal activities in Canada”, in particular the murder of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was campaign for the creation of an independent Sikh state in northern India.
Jaiswal criticized Ottawa for failing to provide India with evidence to support “serious allegations that [o governo de Trudeau] decided to do against India and Indian diplomats.”
In Canada there are around 770,000 Sikhs, the largest community outside India of this minority that demands the creation of an independent State in India.
New Delhi accused Ottawa of harboring Sikh extremists and allowing anti-India activities on Canadian soil.including protest demonstrations and the holding of a secession referendum.
For his part, the Canada criticized the repression of religious minorities in India and defended the right of Canadian Sikhs to freedom of expression.
In a similar case in the US, US officials met with Indian government representatives on Wednesday to investigate the case of another Sikh separatist leader, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who was the target of an assassination attempt in 2023, allegedly ordered by a Indian. person in charge.
Indian officials in Washington have confirmed that the official accused by US prosecutors of masterminding the conspiracy is no longer part of the Indian government, according to a US State Department spokesperson.
Source: Observadora
