Canada alleged that Indian intelligence agencies were involved in his murder.
New Delhi: Tension between Canada and India is at its peak. Both the countries have expelled 6 diplomats each. It all started after the murder of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Sikh Canadian chief of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), a radical separatist outfit and a staunch supporter of the Khalistan movement, in June last year in Canada who was shot dead outside a Gurudwara in British Columbia, Canada.
Canada alleged that Indian intelligence agencies were involved in his murder.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that after several months of intensive investigation, Canadian intelligence agencies came to the conclusion that India had a hand in Nijjar’s murder.
Amid the ongoing stalemate, Canada’s Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly on Monday, 14 October 2024 said “Everything is on the table” in response to a question whether the Canadian government is considering imposing sanctions on India.
Mélanie Joly was addressing the media when she made this statement while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday accused the Indian government of supporting criminal activities targeting Canadian citizens.
India had, on Monday, expelled six Canadian diplomats and withdrew its High Commissioner along with five other diplomats from Ottawa whereas Canada claims that it was the Indian diplomats who were expelled.
Joly told the media that the evidence gathered by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) prompted the decision to expel the Indian diplomats and urged the Indian government to cooperate in the ongoing investigation for the benefit of both nations adding that India was requested to waive diplomatic and consular immunity to facilitate the investigation but declined to do so.
“For the rest, we will continue to push India to make sure they cooperate. We will continue to engage with our Five Eyes partners. We will also continue to engage with the G7 partners. Everything is on the table,” she said when asked if Canada is considering sanctions against India adding that expelling diplomats is one of the strongest measures a country can take under the Vienna Convention.
“We don’t want diplomatic confrontation with India. We know that thousands of Canadians go to India every year. We have lots of people from India coming to Canada as well. So we know that there are deep people-to-people ties, and want to make sure that these are still possible,” said Joly.