by Admin
Oct 15, 2024
Tension between Canada and India reached another height when both countries expelled top envoys from each other countries due to the unsettled circumstances surrounding the death of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada.
Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada defended his actions that the Canadian police presented concrete evidence that pointed to the involvement of the Indian secret agents in the death of the Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
He said, “The evidence brought to light by the RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada’s national police service] cannot be ignored,”.
The Canadian Prime Minister further added “It leads to one conclusion, it is necessary to disrupt the criminal activities that continue to pose a threat to public safety in Canada. That is why we acted.”
The Canadian government accused Indian agents of “homicides, extortion, and violent acts” and also of targeting Singh’s supporters who were agitating for a separate homeland for Sikh people in India.
Whereas, the Indian government has rebutted all the accusations by the Canadian government, addressing the Canadian Prime Minister’s claims as “preposterous” and also pushing political propaganda in support of the Sikh movement in India.
On Monday, India’s Foreign Ministry announced the expulsion of six Canadian diplomats including acting High Commissioner Stewart Ross Wheeler, who had been asked to leave India by 19 October.
India’ Foreign Ministry said “We have no faith in the current Canadian government’s commitment to ensure their security. Therefore, the government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials.”
The statements also indicated that India has specifically asked for the withdrawal of its top envoys and officials in Canada.
However, Canada maintains its stance regardless of what the Indian government has said to deny having any involvement in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Mike Duheme, the Canadian police commissioner, disclosed that they had taken the unusual step of publicly disclosing information about the ongoing investigation “due to significant threat to public safety in our country”.
He further said that evidence shows that a dozen of Indian secret agents were involved in the alleged criminal activities, but did not confirm if they were directly linked to the June 2023 murder of Sikh separatist leader Nijjar.