What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
NEW DELHI: On Wednesday, Justin Trudeau addressed his previous House of Commons statement linking Indian agents to Khalistani sympathiser Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing, citing it as a means to dissuade further actions from New Delhi within Canada.
In an interview with Canadian Press, Trudeau defended the statement, emphasising the need for added deterrence against purported Indian involvement. He said, “We felt that all the quiet diplomacy and all the measures that we put in, and ensured that our security services put in to keep people safe in the community, needed a further level of deterrence, perhaps of saying publicly and loudly that we know, or we have credible reasons to believe, that the Indian government was behind this.”
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Expressing concerns for Canadian vulnerabilities, Trudeau stated the intent behind the statement was to deter the Indian government from perpetuating similar actions. He hinted at Canada’s intention to disclose evidence regarding Nijjar’s killing but cited the complexities of the justice system’s processes.
However, India’s response contrasted with the US, which provided specific inputs on an alleged plot, triggering a probe by India. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar highlighted the disparity in information sharing between the two countries. He said in Parliament last week, “So the question of equitable treatment to two countries, one of whom has provided inputs and one of whom has not, does not arise.”
Trudeau also referenced raising the issue during a bilateral meeting with PM Narendra Modi at the G20 summit in New Delhi, which reportedly didn’t yield constructive outcomes. Accusing India of an information war, Trudeau criticised the misinformation spread through Indian media.
“They chose to attack us and undermine us with a scale of misinformation and disinformation in their media that was comical,” he said.
Despite repeated attempts by India to address the Khalistani issue with Ottawa, Trudeau’s remarks indicated minimal progress. He acknowledged the persistence of the separatist movement in Canada, even though it has waned in India, attributing its survival to fringe groups.
Notably, Trudeau’s remarks shed light on the historical context, referencing the Air India Flight 182 bombing in 1985, which remains Canada’s worst terror incident, perpetrated by Khalistani terrorists. Meanwhile, as of now, there has been no response from India’s Ministry of External Affairs to Trudeau’s recent comments.
