India made ‘horrific mistake’ violating Canadian sovereignty, says Trudeau

The caller Justin Trudeau connection deepens enactment betwixt India and Canada implicit New Delhi’s alleged targeting of Sikh dissidents.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused India’s authorities of orchestrating unit successful the country, the latest section successful a increasing rift implicit New Delhi’s alleged targeting of Canada-based Sikh separatists.

Trudeau levelled the charges during an enquiry connected overseas interference Wednesday, saying determination are “ever clearer indications” that India violated Canada’s sovereignty by targeting Sikh dissidents successful its territory.

India’s actions, Trudeau said, are a “horrific mistake”.

The connection comes 2 days aft India and Canada kicked retired each other’s apical envoys over the rift, which started with the assassination of Sikh separatist person Hardeep Singh Nijjar successful Vancouver successful June 2023.

Later that year, Trudeau said Canada obtained credible grounds to nexus Indian agents to the assassination of Nijjar, a Canadian national who advocated for a Sikh homeland successful the signifier of an independent Khalistani state.

Canadian authorities person since arrested 4 Indian nationals successful transportation with the murder, which New Delhi has repeatedly denied engagement in.

On Monday, India again rejected claims it was connected to the sidesplitting of Nijjar, who it had labelled a “terrorist”. It called the allegations “preposterous” and a “strategy of smearing India for governmental gains”.

However, Trudeau, speaking astatine Wednesday’s inquiry, said Nijjar’s execution was portion of an adjacent much extended Indian operation, with Indian authorities representatives systematically targeting dissidents wrong Canada.

“Violence towards Canadians … has been enabled by and successful galore cases directed by the Indian government,” said the Canadian premier, citing a nationalist constabulary investigation. He added that New Delhi, erstwhile presented with the allegations, had simply doubled down “on attacks against this government”.

While Canada’s authorities does not privation to prime “a combat with a important trading partner”, Trudeau said helium would not waver erstwhile “standing up for Canadian sovereignty”.

US accusations

India’s authorities has besides faced accusations from the United States of attempting to assassinate a Sikh separatist connected its soil. In November 2023, the US Department of Justice announced charges against Indian nationalist Nikhil Gupta implicit an alleged crippled targeting Sikh American activistic Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, claiming it was coordinated with an Indian authorities worker and others.

On Wednesday, a US State Department spokesperson said a gathering betwixt the US and India regarding a probe into the foiled crippled was productive.

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