‘Seems personal for Justin Trudeau’: Experts reveal if India-Canada row will impact India's ties with West
India-Canada row: The strained relations between India and Canada took a sharp downward turn on Tuesday as Canada's PM Justin Trudeau accused "agents of the Indian government" in the killing of prominent Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The Sikh separatist leader was shot dead by unidentified shooters in June outside a Gurudwara in Canada's Surrey. The Indian government rejected the allegations and called them "absurd" and "motivated".
But, the Canadian government didn't stop at just accusations as they expelled the top Indian diplomat Pavan Kumar Rai, the head of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) from Canada. In a tit-for-tat move, the Government of India also summoned the High Commissioner of Canada to India and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat from India. Unlike the Canadian side, India didn't name the diplomat but as per people with knowledge of the matter, it is Canadian intelligence agency station chief Olivier Sylvestere.
The world has also started reacting to the whole fiasco with the United States and Australia expressing concerns about the allegations while Britain called it “serious allegations." “The US was deeply concerned about the allegations disclosed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau," White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said. "We remain in regular contact with our Canadian partners. It is critical that Canada’s investigation proceed and the perpetrators be brought to justice," the statement added.
Read more on livemint.com
