New Delhi: India has made it clear to Canada that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cannot make unsubstantiated charges against the Modi government for murder of terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar without producing any evidence and then give political directives to its investigating agencies to nail the so-called culprits.
The Indian position was conveyed to top security officials and diplomats of Justin Trudeau government in a third country on Saturday as there are discrepancies between the allegations of the Canadian PM and the investigating agency, RCMP, which still is investigating the case of murder of Khalistan Tiger Force terrorist on June 18, 2023. It has made it clear to the Trudeau regime that it is a crime in law to give political directions to investigative agencies.
The meeting of interlocutors came after Prime Minister Trudeau virtually ambushed Prime Minister Narendra Modi even as the latter was walking from the lounge to the dining venue at the ASEAN summit on October 11. While Trudeau claimed through its state media that a brief exchange had taken place between him and PM Modi, it is learnt that the Indian leader virtually told him “not the time and place” for discussion. It is quite evident that not even a handshake took place between PM Modi and Trudeau, who is targeting India for his Khalistani vote bank politics with an eye towards general elections next year.
India later issued a detailed statement on the so-called brief exchange by saying that no substantive discussion had taken place.
Fact is that Trudeau deliberately accosted PM Modi with an eye towards his appearance before the public inquiry into foreign interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions on October 16. Already Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly has appeared before the so-called Commission and made public the intention to nail the Modi government at any costs. The Canadian Public Safety Minister is also slated to appear before the Commission on October 15.
Although Trudeau, who runs a minority government with issue based support from pro-Khalistani NDP and Quebec parties, indicted the Modi government in Parliament for murder of Nijjar in Parliament on September 18, 2023, his government has not produced a shred of evidence or a legal indictment to substantiate its allegations. The RCMP, which is under pressure by the Trudeau government to nail India, has said that it is still investigating the case but has arrested four Sikh youth for murder of the terrorist in what appears to be gang warfare.
Senior Indian officials say that since India has nothing to hide in the case and the Trudeau government must explain the reasons for defaming India, the meeting of top security and diplomatic officials was set up in a third country. It is understood that Canadian National Security Advisor Nathalie G Drouin and Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison attended the meeting on Saturday.
Canada watchers say that as the Trudeau government is tottering and is expected to fall in February 2025 on the Finance Bill, the pro-Khalistani PM will push the RCP and the Commission to nail India on Nijjer. The Modi government is in no mood to take this Trudeau political orchestration lying down and has made it clear that the only way for improving bilateral relations with India is that Canada takes verifiable action against anti-India Khalistani activities on its soil.
