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Tag: Hardeep nijjar murder case

  • As India-Canada Tensions Mount Over Nijjar’s Killing, Trudeau Speaks To UK PM Starmer |

    India-Canada Diplomatic Row: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday amid rising tensions between Canada and India following the alleged assassination of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. This comes after, India has withdrawn some of its diplomats from Ottawa and expelled six Canadian officials from New Delhi. The action came as Canada implicated several Indian High Commissioners and diplomats in its investigation into Nijjar’s killing. New Delhi has criticized the Trudeau government, stating that it has not provided a shred of evidence to support its claims. 

    According to an official statement from the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office, Justin Trudeau discussed the recent developments, calling them a “targeted campaign against Canadian citizens by agents linked to the Government of India.” The statement also noted that the Canadian and UK leaders agreed to remain in close and regular contact as the situation unfolds. 

    Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Keir Starmer, about the targeted campaign against Canadian citizens by agents linked to the Government of India. More on what was discussed: https://t.co/iCvXc0nYQl
    — CanadianPM (@CanadianPM) October 14, 2024

    Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs while removing Indian diplomats from Ottawa said, “It was underlined that in an atmosphere of extremism and violence, the Trudeau Government’s actions endangered their safety. We have no faith in the current Canadian Government’s commitment to ensure their security. Therefore, the Government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials,” the MEA asserted. 

    India-Canada Diplomatic Tensions 

    Tensions between India and Canada remain high after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told his country’s parliament last year about the “potential involvement” of Indian government agents in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. However, Trudeau’s government has yet to provide any evidence to Indian authorities to substantiate these allegations. 

    On Canada’s move to link the Indian diplomats to Nijjar case, the Ministry of External Affairs on Monday said that Prime Minister Trudeau’s hostility toward India has been evident for a long time.   

    the ministry further said, “The Government of India strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau Government that is centered around vote bank politics,” the MEA statement said.

    Responding to the strongly worded statement from the MEA on Monday, Canada PM Trudeau accused the Indian government of making a ‘fundamental error’ by supporting criminal activities in Canada, reported ANI.

    Trudeau, speaking at a press conference in Ottawa, underscored the significance of an upcoming meeting between the national security advisors of Canada and India, scheduled for this weekend in Singapore. 

    Canadian PM recalled his recent interaction with PM Narendra Modi by saying, “When I spoke to PM Modi at the end of last week, I highlighted how incredibly important [the] meeting between our national security advisors in Singapore this weekend was going to be. He was aware of that meeting, and I pressed upon him that the meeting needs to be taken very, very seriously,” ANI quoted Trudeau.

  • India Recalls Kanishka Flight Bombing As Canadian Parliament ‘Honours’ Khalistani Terrorist Nijjar |

    Hinting at India’s stance against terrorism after the Canadian parliament observed silence in the memory of the one-year anniversary of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The Indian Consulate General in Vancouver announced a memorial service to pay tribute to the victims of the Air India Kanishka flight, where 329 individuals lost their lives as the flight was bombed by the pro-Khalistan organisation in 1985.

    The consulate invited the Indian Diaspora to join the ‘Kanishka Flight’ event on June 23 at the Air India Memorial at Stanley Park’s Ceperley Playground area. In a post on ‘X’, the consulate posted, “India stands at the forefront of countering the menace of terrorism and works closely with all nations to tackle this global threat.”

    Informing about the memorial service, the post added, “June 23, 2024, marks the 39th anniversary of the cowardly terrorist bombing of Air India flight 182 (Kanishka), in which 329 innocent victims, including 86 children, lost their lives in one of the most heinous terror-related air disasters in the history of civil aviation.”

    India stands at the forefront of countering the menace of terrorism and works closely with all nations to tackle this global threat. (1/3) — India in Vancouver (@cgivancouver) June 18, 2024

    Sikh militants allegedly bombed Air India’s ‘Kanishka’ Flight 182, causing it to explode 45 minutes before its scheduled landing at London’s Heathrow Airport on June 23, 1985. This tragic event resulted in the deaths of all 329 people on board, predominantly Canadians of Indian original. The bombing was reportedly in retaliation for ‘Operation Bluestar,’ which aimed to remove militants from the Golden Temple in 1984.

    A video released by the news agency IANS depicts members of the Canadian Parliament observing a moment of silence in the House of Commons. Speaker Greg Fergus began by announcing that after discussions among representatives of all parties in the House, they agreed to observe a moment of silence in memory of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

    Canada’s Parliament marked the one-year anniversary of the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar by holding a moment of silence in the House of Commons on Tuesday

    (Video Source – Canadian Parliament Official Website) pic.twitter.com/SGkovpiWXc — IANS (@ians_india) June 19, 2024

    This comes a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau allegedly discussed the ‘Nijjar Killing’ incident on the backdrop of the G7 Summit in Italy.

    Nijjar, who was declared a terrorist by India, was fatally shot outside a Gurdwara in British Columbia last year. Following which, the Justin Trudeau-led Canadian government has accused Indian government agents of potential involvement in the killing, a claim that New Delhi has vehemently dismissed as “absurd and motivated.”

    (Based on inputs from PTI)

  • Jaishankar Slams Canada Over Arrest Of 3 Indians In Nijjar Case: Labels Allegations ‘Vote-Bank Politics’ |

    New Delhi: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Saturday reacted to the arrest of three Indian nationals in Canada in connection with the alleged murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year. Jaishankar attributed the developments in poll-bound Canada mostly to ‘internal politics.’ Jaishankar said that it has nothing to do with India, adding that the section of pro-Khalistan people are using Canada’s democracy, creating a lobby, and have become a vote bank.  

    Jaishankar was in Odisha when, replying to a question by a senior journalist on why Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is criticising India, he stated, “India’s image globally is now actually much higher than it had been ever… Canada is an exception. You see the different country heads are praising Bharat and its Prime Minister,” reported PTI.  

    He also remarked that there is a need for a strong and proactive Prime Minister like Narendra Modi in the country to drive reforms across various sectors, including external affairs, to make way for a “Viksit Bharat.”.  

    India’s diplomatic relations with Canada are facing tensions following Canadian PM Trudeau’s allegations in September last year suggesting a political involvement of India in the killing of Nijjar on Canadian soil. India has refuted any such claims, calling them ‘absurd’ and ‘motivated’.  

    The EAM said that Canada did not give any proof or share any evidence and police agencies do not cooperate with us. “It is their political compulsion in Canada to blame India. As elections are coming in Canada, they indulge in vote-bank politics,” Jaishankar added.  

    Nijjar, aged 45, was fatally shot in June outside a Gurdwara in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb known for its significant Sikh community. Several months later, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of involvement, triggering a diplomatic rift with New Delhi. The three individuals, all Indian citizens, were apprehended by the police in Edmonton, Alberta, on Friday. They are suspected to be a part of the hit-squad involved in the murder.