Amid escalating tensions between India and Canada, the United States has expressed deep concern over Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations, which suggested India’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
“The US was deeply concerned about the allegations disclosed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau,” stated National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson in an email.
Watson emphasized the importance of Canada’s ongoing investigation and the need to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Justin Trudeau had claimed that his government possessed “credible allegations” linking Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing to the “agents of the Government of India,” a statement that India promptly rejected as “absurd and motivated.”
India countered by stating that such unfounded allegations were intended to divert attention from the presence of Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have found refuge in Canada and continue to pose a threat to India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In a reciprocal move, India expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in response to Canada’s earlier expulsion of a senior Indian diplomat. The Canadian diplomat, who remains unnamed, has been given five days to leave the country.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, based in Canada, had been designated a ‘terrorist’ by India and was shot dead by unidentified assailants near a gurdwara in Surrey in June.
This latest development has further strained relations between Ottawa and New Delhi, which had already been tense. Earlier this month, during a meeting at the G20 Summit in Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had conveyed “strong concerns about continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada” to his Canadian counterpart.
