'Tonal shift' in US-Canada relations after US plot revealed: Trudeau
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed that India's ties with Canada might have undergone "a tonal shift" following the indictment of an Indian national for plotting an assassination attempt on a Khalistani leader in the United States (US). "I think there is a beginning of an understanding that they can't bluster their way through this, and there is an openness to collaborating in a way that perhaps they were less open before," Trudeau told CBC on Wednesday (local time).
Why does this story matter?
In September, Trudeau publicly alleged that agents of the Indian government were involved in Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar's murder in June. A month later, in November, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) charged an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, in connection with "his participation in a foiled plot to assassinate a US citizen of Indian origin in New York." The indictment also alleged a link between the plot to kill Nijjar and Pannun.
Don't want to fight with India: Canada PM
Trudeau suggested the US indictment might have convinced the Indian government to assume a more sober tone. "We don't want to be in a situation of having a fight with India right now over this. We want to be working on that trade deal. We want to be advancing the Indo-Pacific strategy," he said. Furthermore, the Canadian PM highlighted that it's in Ottawa's foundation to stand up for people's rights, safety, and the rule of law.
India-Canada row over Nijjar's death
Diplomatic ties between New Delhi and Ottawa were severely strained after Trudeau alleged that Indian agents' were involved in the June 18 killing of Nijjar in Canada's British Columbia. India responded to Canada's "absurd" allegations by suspending visa services for Canadian citizens and expelling a Canadian diplomat. Nijjar, 45, was shot dead outside a Sikh temple in Surrey on June 18, three years after India designated him a "terrorist" in 2020.
US blames India for attacking Khalistani, India initiates probe
After the US charged Indian citizen Gupta last month in connection with the failed plot to assassinate a Khalistani leader, India labeled it a "matter of concern." Later, the External Affairs Ministry (EAM) announced that it had initiated a high-level probe into the allegations. It is learned that an unnamed senior Indian intelligence officer enlisted Gupta to hire a hitman to murder the unnamed Sikh separatist, most likely Pannun.
