'Khalistanis present in Canada, not all Hindus Modi backers': Trudeau
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the presence of Khalistani supporters in Canada for the first time. However, he emphasized that they do not represent the entire Sikh community in the country. He made the comments during Diwali celebrations at Ottawa's Parliament Hill. Trudeau also noted that while there are Hindu supporters of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Canada, they do not represent all Hindu Canadians.
Trudeau's remarks amid India-Canada diplomatic tensions
Trudeau's remarks come amid escalating diplomatic tensions between India and Canada. The strain started after Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was murdered in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023. Trudeau had earlier implicated Indian agents in Nijjar's murder—a claim India has categorically denied. The situation worsened when Canada named Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma a "person of interest" in the murder investigation.
India recalls High Commissioner, expels Canadian diplomats
In retaliation to Canada's actions, India recalled its High Commissioner to Ottawa and expelled six Canadian diplomats. The Ministry of External Affairs has repeatedly asked Ottawa for evidence linking India to Nijjar's killing, but Canada has yet to provide any conclusive evidence. During a public inquiry, Trudeau admitted that Canada's allegations were based on intelligence. He revealed that intelligence from Canada and possibly from Five Eyes allies suggested India's involvement but there was no "hard evidentiary proof" at the time.
Only primarily intelligence, not hard evidentiary proof: Trudeau
Trudeau revealed that Canada had the option of going public with the allegations during the G20 Summit in New Delhi in September 2023, but didn't. "Our response was, well, it's within your security agencies...At that point, it was primarily intelligence, not hard evidentiary proof. So we said, let's work together and look into your security services," he said.
