India’s high commissioner to Canada has denied involvement in the 2023 killing of a key Sikh separatist leader in Canada, accusing the Canadian government of being “politically motivated” in its charges.

Sanjay Kumar Verma was asked in an interview with Canadian network CTV News on Sunday if he had anything to do with Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s assassination.

“Nothing at all, no evidence presented, politically motivated,” he informed me.

The interview comes only days after Canadian police revealed evidence that Indian government officials were “involved in serious criminal activity in Canada,” including links to “homicides and violent acts.”

On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government ordered the expulsion of six Indian diplomats and consular personnel, including India’s High Commissioner Verma, after they were identified as “persons of interest” in the killing of Nijjar.

Nijjar had been a key figure in the Khalistan movement, a Sikh campaign for an independent state in India’s Punjab area that India regards as a danger to national security.

His death caused shockwaves across Canada, and relations between New Delhi and Ottawa reached new lows after the Canadian government said in September of last year that it was looking into whether Indian government operatives were involved.

India has dismissed the allegations, calling them “preposterous imputations” and asking Canada to provide evidence to back up its assertions.

No Evidence Offered by Trudeau

On Monday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) stated that it personally handed information to Indian government officials, “urging their cooperation in stemming the violence and requesting our law enforcement agencies work together to address these issues”.

During Sunday’s interview with CTV News, Verma – the Indian high commissioner to Canada – repeatedly said he has not been presented with any evidence from Justin Trudeau.

According to Verma, India is “committed not to do extrajudicial killings on any territory”.

He also stated that he had never led or pressured anyone into obtaining information on pro-Khalistan activists in Canada. “I, as high commissioner of India, have never done anything of that kind,” he said with CTV News.

“Do we want to know what pro-Khalistan elements in Canada are doing? Yes, we do. That is in my national interest. That is my main issue with Canada, which is attempting to devastate Indian territory.

“If the Canadian politicians are so novice that they want me not to know what my enemies are doing here, I’m sorry – then they don’t know what international relations is all about,” said Verma, stressing that the information gathering was “all overt”.

“We read the newspapers, we read their statements,” according to him.

Canada’s Sikh Population

But members of the Sikh community in Canada – the largest Sikh diaspora in the world, numbering around 770,000 people – have said they faced threats for decades. They have accused the Indian government of trying to silence them.

“For 40 years, our community has been working to bring foreign interference from India to light,” Moninder Singh, an associate of Nijjar’s in British Columbia, told Al Jazeera last year.

Sikh advocates in the United States have also faced threats, and last week, the US Department of Justice charged an Indian government official it said was involved in a failed plot to kill a prominent advocate for Sikh separatism in New York.

US authorities filed “murder-for-hire and money laundering charges” against Vikash Yadav for his alleged involvement in the plot to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

Pannun, a US citizen, is the legal adviser for the group Sikhs for Justice and a vocal supporter of the Khalistan movement.

“The defendant [Yadav], an Indian government employee, allegedly conspired with a criminal associate and attempted to assassinate a US citizen on American soil for exercising their First Amendment rights,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.

According to Sikhs for Justice, the US indictment demonstrates Washington’s commitment to protecting the lives, liberty, and freedom of expression of US citizens both domestically and internationally.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs said Yadav was no longer employed by the government.
Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was fatally shot in June 2023 outside a Sikh temple where he served as president in Canada’s westernmost province of British Columbia.

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India Accuses Trudeau of Harboring Pro-Khalistan Criminals in Canada

Chandra Arya, a Canadian Member of Parliament, has expressed concerns regarding the safety of the Hindu community in Canada, citing fears stemming from Khalistani extremism. The call was made for the Canadian government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, to acknowledge the dangers associated with Khalistani extremism.

Concerns have been raised by Hindus throughout Canada in light of recent developments. As a Member of Parliament representing the Hindu community, I have encountered these concerns directly. Arya reported that last week, his attendance at a Hindu event in Edmonton was secured by the presence of RCMP officers, following a disruptive demonstration by a group of Khalistani protesters. This statement was shared on the social platform X.

The Member of Parliament stated that Canadians anticipate their national government to work alongside nations impacted by issues such as terrorism and extremism, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding its citizens.

His statement arises in the context of escalating diplomatic tensions between Canada and India, following accusations regarding the involvement of Indian government agents and diplomats in the assassination of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed outside a Gurdwara in British Columbia.

Canada and India Issues

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has leveled serious accusations against India, alleging that the country is collaborating with organized crime groups to carry out “violent acts” against Canadian citizens within Canada’s borders.

Arya has called for the revival of diplomatic initiatives between the two nations in light of recent tensions, which have escalated following the mutual expulsion of diplomats. This situation arose after Canada’s contentious decision to interrogate Indian diplomats on its soil.

Recent revelations and developments are affecting the collaboration between Canada and India on this issue. Arya emphasized the urgent need for collective recognition of the significance of tackling cross-border threats linked to Khalistani extremism, urging a recommitment to effective measures against it.

Arya stressed the importance of Hindu-Canadians in Canada speaking out about their safety concerns and urged that politicians be held accountable for their responses to these issues.

“Our community stands out as one of the most educated and successful in the nation, playing a significant role in the advancement of Canada.” “However, politicians frequently misinterpret our low profile as a sign of weakness,” he stated.

Trudeau Government Threat

On October 14, India took the significant step of expelling six Canadian diplomats. This action followed a meeting with Canada’s Charge d’Affaires, Stewart Wheeler, during which India expressed its strong disapproval of what it termed the “baseless targeting” of the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats and officials in Canada.

The Ministry of External Affairs has announced that the actions of the Trudeau Government have posed a threat to their safety. As a result, the Indian government has made the decision to withdraw its High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, along with other diplomats and officials who have been targeted.

In a significant declaration, officials in New Delhi emphasized their prerogative to pursue additional measures in reaction to what they termed the “Trudeau Government’s support for extremism, violence and separatism against India.”

The Member of Parliament committed to representing the individual’s concerns but emphasized that his solitary actions alone are insufficient. “We must unite to guarantee the protection of our safety and interests,” he emphasized.

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India Accuses Trudeau of Harboring Pro-Khalistan Criminals in Canada

India Accuses Trudeau of Harboring Pro-Khalistan Criminals in Canada

It has been a few days since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ignited the India-Canada relationship and reduced diplomatic relations to ashes.

The rift that Justin Trudeau initiated is currently prompting concerns regarding the potential consequences on Canada’s trade with India and the relationship between the two nations.  Nearly 1.7 million individuals of Indian descent reside in Canada, and bilateral trade consists of billions of dollars.

Currently, neither nation has implemented tariffs or other economic measures as a form of retaliation. However, experts warn that this may change in the future, and that a deteriorating relationship between India and Canada could impede further economic expansion.

The rift between India and Canada has occurred at a time when Justin Trudeau is grappling with a political collapse, a housing crisis, declining ratings, a struggle for political survival, an internal party revolt, and a public inquiry into whether his Liberal Party benefited from Chinese interference in the 2019 and 2021 elections.

On Wednesday, Trudeau testified before a Commission of Inquiry on foreign election interference. He admitted under oath that he had only intelligence and no “hard evidentiary proof” when he alleged the involvement of Indian government agents in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year.

India Rejects Trudeau’s Accusations

In response to media inquiries regarding Trudeau’s deposition, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) released a statement in the early hours of Thursday. Certain details of the deposition were disclosed in media reports.

“What we have heard today only confirms what we have been saying consistently all along — Justin Trudeau has presented the Indian Government with no evidence whatsoever in support of the serious allegations that he has chosen to level against India and Indian diplomats,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated in a press release.

The ministry additionally stated, “The responsibility for the damage that this cavalier behaviour has caused to India-Canada relations lies with Prime Minister Trudeau alone.”

Trudeau claimed that Indian diplomats were gathering information on Canadians who are in disagreement with the Narendra Modi government and transmitting it to the highest echelons of the Indian government and criminal organizations such as the Lawrence Bishnoi gang during his testimony at the public inquiry into foreign interference in federal electoral processes and democratic institutions.

India vigorously rejected Canadian authorities’ efforts to establish a connection between Indian agents and criminal groups in Canada, according to official sources in New Delhi. It even denied Ottawa’s claim that it had shared evidence with New Delhi in the Nijjar case.

In addition, sources in New Delhi denied Trudeau’s previous accusations that India was conducting covert operations in his country, which included the targeting of Canadian nationals.

Pro-Khalistan Threats in Canada

After Ottawa dismissed allegations linking the envoy to an inquiry into the killing of Nijjar, the country expelled six Canadian diplomats and announced the withdrawal of its high commissioner from Canada on Monday.

India has maintained that the primary concern between the two nations is that Justin Trudeau is allowing pro-Khalistan elements to operate with impunity from Canadian soil.

The Khalistani threat has been a persistent issue in India, and it has a bloody history that has resulted in the death of a reigning Indian prime minister. The Khalistani movement was also responsible for the most devastating terrorist attack in Canadian history, the 1985 bombing of Air India flight ‘Kanishka’. The aircraft detonated mid-air, claiming the lives of 329 individuals, including 268 Canadians, 27 Britons, and 24 Indian citizens.

The content that has been released since the fracas has not made a sincere effort to elucidate the institutionalization of state support for terrorist elements that target India from its soil under Trudeau.

The Trudeau Government has provided little contextual consideration to the following issues: Trudeau’s permissiveness toward organized crime, the admission of gangland criminals, including drug peddlers from India, who manipulate the asylum system using fabricated documents and subsequently commit or sponsor violent criminal activities within Indian territory, and the repeated disregard of India’s extradition requests, despite the existence of an extradition treaty.

Ottawa Harboring Wanted Criminals

The Indian government is employing a criminal syndicate in Canada known as the Bishnoi group to execute hit jobs within Canada, a claim that Trudeau has made without providing any evidence. However, these reports have failed to mention that New Delhi has registered numerous cases against members of the gang.

First Post reports that the Indian high commission in Ottawa has repeatedly expressed India’s apprehensions to Canadian authorities regarding the fact that these criminals are conducting murders in India, including the widely publicized assassination of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.

According to a Hindustan Times report, Goldy Brar, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang based in Canada, has 16 cases pending against him, while Lakhbir Singh Landa, the primary conspirator and another Canadian resident, has 20 cases pending against him in India.

Brar, who is believed to be residing in Brampton, Ontario, and has been issued an Interpol red notice by India, has yet to be extradited by Canada.

The banned Khalistani organization Sikh For Justice (SFJ) published a video on October 12 that depicted the effigy of Indian high commissioner Verma being set on fire and shot with bullets.

The Khalistanis have also imposed a “bounty” of half a million dollars on the Indian high commissioner. This supports India’s assertion that its diplomats are in danger and the Trudeau government’s failure to safeguard them.

As per First Post, Khalistani separatists have been responsible for a violent movement that has so far resulted in the assassination of an Indian prime minister and the destruction of an aircraft carrying passengers. Despite being a fellow democracy, Trudeau has chosen to support the terrorists.

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