Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Tuesday announced that its country expelled an Indian diplomat over the killing of the Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Canada Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said that India’s spy agencyIndian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) intelligence head stationed in Ottawa stationed in Ottawa named Pavan Kumar Rai.
Rai is a 1997 batch Punjab cadre IPS officer, posted as a minister in the Indian mission in Ottawa, Canada.
In 2018, Pavan was empaneled for holding the post of joint secretary or equivalent at the government of India.
Canada held marathon diplomatic efforts to raise the issue of the assassination of a Canadian citizen on Canada’s soil by an Indian spy agency’s diplomat posted in Ottawa but the New Delhi government remained in a state of denial.
Canada’s National Security Adviser, Jody Thomas, also traveled to London to brief her UK counterparts on the matter.
The Canadian authorities did not stop in the past nor do they have intentions to downplay the matter as Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said she would also be raising the issue with her G7 counterparts at a dinner Monday evening at the United Nations at the UNGA 2023 session already begun.
In Washington, the White House said it was deeply concerned about the allegations referenced by Prime Minister Trudeau and urged an investigation into the matter.
India dismisses Canada’s allegations
Foreign media reported that India characterised as absurd and motivated an accusation by Canada that it was involved in the murder of a Sikh separatist leader, urging the country instead to take legal action against anti-Indian elements operating from its soil.
India’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday, “Allegations of the government of India’s involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd and motivated.”
Similar accusations made by Trudeau to Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been “completely rejected”, it added in a statement.
“We urge the government of Canada to take prompt and effective legal action against all anti-India elements operating from their soil,” the ministry said.
Such unsubstantiated allegations sought to shift the focus away from Khalistani terrorists and extremists who have been provided shelter in Canada”, it added.
India also expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a reciprocal move over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s charge that it played a role in the June killing of a Khalistani terrorist.
The diplomat, who is unnamed, has five days to leave the country. Canada suspends free FTA with India. Canada had also suspended the negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India.
Trudeau later told the media that Canada would always defend ‘freedom of expression, freedom of conscience and freedom of peaceful protest’ while acting against hatred.
