Ganesh Kendale
The United States on Tuesday urged India to cooperate with Canada’s investigation into the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, calling the allegations “extremely serious.” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller noted that while the US had hoped for India’s cooperation, its decision to expel the Canadian high commissioner signalled that it had “chosen an alternate path.”
“When it comes to the Canadian matter, we have made clear that the allegations are extremely seriously serious and they need to be taken seriously.And we wanted to see the Government of India cooperate with Canada in its investigation. Obviously, they have not chosen that path,” Miller said during a press briefing.
Diplomatic tensions between India and Canada escalated on Monday as India announced the withdrawal of its High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats, followed by the expulsion of six Canadian diplomats. This decision came after ministry of external affairs summoned Canadian chargé d’affaires Stewart Wheeler in response to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s serious allegations against New Delhi.
Also read: India expels 6 Canadian diplomats after recalling High Commissioner
The MEA condemned Canada’s “baseless targeting” of Indian officials, stating that Trudeau’s actions endangered their safety in an atmosphere of extremism and violence. India expressed a lack of faith in the Canadian government’s commitment to protect its diplomats and warned of further actions.
The diplomatic dispute between India and Canada has escalated sharply since June 2023, when Nijjar was killed outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia. India designated Nijjar a terrorist in 2020, accusing him of involvement in extremist activities.
Miller also clarified that there had been ongoing discussions with India at the “senior-most levels” in recent months, and that India had conveyed to the US that the activities outlined in the Department of Justice indictment did not reflect Indian government policy.
Despite these tensions, Miller said that the US still views India as an important partner, particularly in their shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region. “India continues to be an incredibly strong partner of the United States,” he said, adding that both countries have candid conversations whenever they have concerns. “When we have concerns, we have the kind of relationship where we can take those concerns to them and have frank, candid conversations,” he said.
In response to recent bomb threats against Air India flights, Miller said, “Any kind of threats against commercial aviation are inappropriate and dealt with extremely seriously by our own law enforcement agencies”.
