Trudeau Provokes, 'Absurd', Says India
The India Commentary view
View all posts by this Author
By Our Editorial Team
First publised on 2023-09-20 03:14:14
About the Author
The India Commentary view
View all posts by this Author
India's relations with Canada were always good. But under the Justin Trudeau administration, they have become strained. The latest allegations by Trudeau, on the floor of the Canadian parliament, that they have found 'credible allegations' of the involvement of agents of the Indian government in the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar (a designated terrorist in India) in Canada in June, have strained them further. India has rightly dismissed the allegations as "absurd". But Canada went ahead and expelled a senior Indian diplomat, resulting in a tit-for-tat from India, taking relations between the two countries to a new low.
This has come immediately after PM Modi had impressed upon Prime Minister Trudeau the need to restrain Khalistani elements in Canada when the two had met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Delhi recently. It is clear that Trudeau is under pressure from the vocal and influential fringe elements in the sizeable Sikh community in Canada. It may be that Nijjar's killers were from India. But it is also true that Sikh separatist politics abroad is highly divided. It could be the handiwork of one or more groups who did not like Nijjar. To accuse the government of India of ordering a killing in Canada when the police have not arrested a single suspect even after 3 months is incomprehensible.
Trudeau must understand that Canada's relations with India cannot be hijacked by the fringe elements in the Sikh community there. Domestic compulsions must not cloud Trudeau's views on this. He has in the past also unnecessarily commented on Indian domestic matters like the farmers' stir. Although he has said the evidence will be shared "in due course" and the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand (part of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance along with Canada) have called the allegations serious and demanded further probe (but they refused to issue a joint statement), Canada jumped the gun by making allegations and expelling a diplomat before the probe was completed and it was ready to share the evidence. India must stand firm but both countries must take steps avoid further escalation.
