By Ken Afor
The bilateral ties between Canada and India are being threatened following the murder of a separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia Province last June.
The country’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau on Monday said it was “actively pursuing credible allegations’, as per Al Jazeera report.
Trade between both countries in 2022 amounted to just 13.7 billion Canadian dollars ($10.2bn) out of Canada’s total of 1.52 trillion Canadian dollars ($11.3 trillion), according to Statistics Canada.
Also, Canada houses one of the largest overseas communities of Indian origin, which number about 1.4 million out of an overall Canadian population of 40 million. About 770,000 people reported Sikhism as their religion in the 2021 census.
Reacting to the accusation made by Canada, the United Kingdom (UK) has said it is working closely with Canada for more information after the murder of a separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
“We are in close touch with our Canadian partners about these serious allegations. It would be inappropriate to comment further during the ongoing investigation by the Canadian authorities.”
It would be recalled that Nijjar, 45, was shot dead outside a Sikh temple on June 18 in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a large Sikh population.
Nijjar was branded a terrorist by the Indian government after he supported a Sikh homeland in the form of an independent Khalistani State.
Tracing Indian’s alleged involvement, the government last April reached out to Britain asking it to increase monitoring of UK-based supporters of a Sikh separatist movement.
Weighing in on Canada’s allegation, Australia said it is closely in touch with the north American country
“We are deeply concerned by these allegations and note ongoing investigations into this matter,” a spokesperson for Australian foreign minister Wong said.
“We are closely engaged with partners on developments. We have conveyed our concerns at senior levels to India,” the Australian official added.
Also, the United States government said, “We are deeply concerned about the allegations referenced by Prime Minister Trudeau earlier today,” US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement released late on Monday night.
Although, despite their initial accusation, Canada exercised some cautions on its choice of words as development escalates.
India, reacting to the accusation described it as “absurd and motivated” and called on the Canadian government to take legal action against anti-Indian elements operating from its soil.
