- The charges made by Justin Trudeau that Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed.
- Trudeau: There are “credible allegations of a potential link” between the murder and Indian government officials.
- Mélanie Joly of Canada declared the expulsion of a “top Indian diplomat” in response to Justin Trudeau’s assertion.
The charges made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed in British Columbia in June by operatives of the Indian government have alarmed the US greatly.
According to Trudeau, there are “credible allegations of a potential link” between the murder and Indian government officials. The assertion was, however, denied by the Indian side as “absurd and motivated.” The US continues to communicate frequently with its Canadian colleagues and encourages Canada to move forward with its investigation and apprehend the offenders.
Murder of a Khalistani leader
Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly of Canada declared the expulsion of a “top Indian diplomat” in response to Justin Trudeau’s assertion in the Canadian Parliament.
Similar claims were “completely rejected,” according to a statement from India’s external affairs ministry, by Justin Trudeau and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 10.
“Such baseless accusations aim to divert attention away from Khalistani terrorists and radicals, who have received protection in Canada and continue to pose a threat to India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Canadian government’s silence on this issue has long been of concern, according to the statement.
On June 18, a gunman shot and killed Hardeep Singh Nijjar in the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara’s parking lot in Surrey, British Columbia. He was a citizen of Canada, and the Indian government had previously classified him as a terrorist for his role in pro-Khalistan activities.
