SHIWANI NAILWAL/VOIWORLD
The recent diplomatic row between Canada and India has garnered significant attention in international news. Ties between the two countries have deteriorated since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly expressed his suspicions that Indian agents were responsible for the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada.
And now, U.S. National Security Council Spokesperson has labeled the Canadian allegations against India as ‘serious’. The statement from the U.S. official comes as indian foreign mister concluded his US visit earlier this week.
According to John Kirby, who is the spokesperson for US National Security Council in the White House, the claims made by Canada were discussed when Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met last week.
Kirby stated that, “The matter was talked about. We will undoubtedly defer to those two nations to discuss their bilateral relationship.’’ Responding to a query, he added ‘’We’ve been clear: These claims need to be thoroughly probed because they are serious. Of course, as we’ve said before, we urge India to actively take part in the investigation.’’
On June 18 in a Vancouver suburb, unidentified assailants shot and killed Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Sikh temple. He had been labeled a “terrorist” by India three years prior.
However, India has outrightly rejected the claims, calling it “absurd” and “motivated”. The Indian government has said Canada was yet to provide any public evidence to support the claim about the killing of Nijjar.
India has suspended its visa services in Canada, following Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau’s allegations of Indian involvement in the killing. According to a report in the Financial Times on Tuesday, India has requested that Canada cut the size of its diplomatic mission by more than half. Canada has 62 diplomats in India but India said that the total should be reduced by 41, the newspaper said.
U.S. State Department’s Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at a separate news conference that it’s critical that Canada’s investigation proceeds and the perpetrators are brought to justice. “We also have, as we’ve previously said publicly and privately, urged the Indian government to cooperate in the Canadian investigation and cooperate in those efforts,” he said.
He further added that the U.S. is aware of the reports on the diplomatic staffing levels for the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi.He added, “But I don’t have anything further to offer on those reports and certainly don’t want to get into hypotheticals and take this process one step at a time. As it relates to our Indo-Pacific strategy and the focus that we continue to place on the region, that effort and that line of work is going to continue.”
