ottawa –
American officials did not condemn India’s response to explosive accusations that the Indian government is involved in a number of escalating violent crimes in Canada.
Ottawa expelled six Indian diplomats on Monday after the RCMP said it had credible evidence that Indian agents were involved in the extortion, coercion and murder of Canadian citizens on Canadian soil.
U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller did not comment on the substance of these new allegations at a news conference Tuesday, nor did he criticize India’s decision to also expel six Canadian diplomats.
“As we have said previously, these are serious allegations that we hoped India would take seriously and cooperate with Canada’s investigation. India has chosen a different path,” he said.
Miller said the United States has long asked India to cooperate with Canadian authorities. In September 2023, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canadian intelligence agencies are investigating potential links between the Indian government and the June 2023 murder of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia. They announced that they are investigating reliable information regarding the relationship.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaks to reporters at Parliament House in Ottawa, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)
Miller’s comments came as an Indian delegation visited Washington to discuss a murder-for-hire plot revealed by US officials in November last year.
The unsealed indictment alleges that Indian government officials directed the assassination attempt in the United States and spoke about other officials, including Nijjar.
Miller said the visit announced Monday by an agency called the Indian Commission of Inquiry was unrelated to the allegations made public by Canadian authorities the same day, and said the timing was “completely coincidental.”
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said he would not discuss the Canada case, but the Indian government’s decision to send a commission to Washington shows that India is taking the situation seriously. He said it was a manifestation.
“I’m not going to speak for Canadians one way or the other,” he said. “However, we have expressed our deep concerns about this to our Indian officials. They have indicated to us that they are taking this matter seriously,” Kirby said.
India argued that Canada had not provided any evidence to support any of its claims.
RCMP Chief Mike Duhem said the force’s deputy chief tried to share evidence with Indian police last week but was refused. Last weekend, Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison, along with the RCMP, gave evidence to India at a conference in Singapore.
Canada asked India to revoke its diplomatic immunity to allow the six people to meet, but India refused.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Monday that India’s refusal to cooperate was the reason Canada declared six diplomats persona non grata, one of the harshest penalties that can be imposed under the Vienna Convention. said.
He also said Monday that he had contacted his Canadian counterparts in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which includes the United States and New Zealand, about the situation.
New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters, in a statement that did not mention India, indicated he would let the judicial process play out.
Mr. Peters wrote about It said it had flagged an “ongoing criminal investigation into violence and threats of violence.”
Bina Najibulla, vice-president of research at the Asia Pacific Foundation, said before making these statements it is important that Canada receives support from allies, perhaps through behind-the-scenes diplomatic moves or public expressions of support. said.
“We are in uncharted territory. It has implications not only for diplomatic relations, but also for Canada’s public safety and national security,” she said.
Najibullah said Jolie’s accusations of criminal involvement by active diplomats were noteworthy, adding that violence linked to the Indian government has only increased since Canada made public its concerns over Nijjar’s murder last year. said.
“Canada did what it considered necessary,” Najibullah said.
“At this point, for Canada to get some kind of cooperation from India and hold India accountable for what happened, it needs to feel some pressure on India, and it needs to see some reason for India to cooperate. There is.”
In British Columbia, a Sikh gurdwara where Mr. Nijjar was president hosted a press conference, and temple leaders and Sikh independence groups called for the closure of Indian consulates in Vancouver and Toronto.
Gurkeerat Singh, a spokesperson for the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Association in Surrey, said “the safety and security of Sikhs remains in question” as long as the mission continues.
Jatinder Singh Grewal of the pro-independence group Sikhs for Justice, of which Nijal was a member, called the consulate a “house of terror” that should be shut down.
In Ottawa, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh on Tuesday called for “tough sanctions against Indian diplomats” involved in criminal activity. The RCMP announced Monday that Canada has expelled six Indian diplomats who were wanted for questioning over acts of violence in Canada.
Singh said Canada must also ban Hindu groups that have been accused of hate speech by Sikh and Muslim groups.
The House of Commons is in recess this week, so immediate consideration of the issue is not possible, but Singh said his party will ask the House of Commons public safety committee to consider “other steps that can be taken to keep Canadians safe.” Ta.
The Bloc Québécois on Tuesday called on the government to “intensify cooperation with Canada’s allies on intelligence and solidarity in the face of such acts.” The Conservative Party on Monday denounced Canada’s “extremely disturbing” claims as evidence the government does not take foreign interference and national security seriously.
The free trade government is also trying to assure Canadian businesses that it wants to continue trading with India, even though Ottawa halted free trade agreement negotiations a year ago due to allegations of misconduct.
Trade Minister Mary Ng issued a statement acknowledging the potential uncertainty for businesses and investors as a result of the expulsion of the diplomats. He said the government will continue to support commercial and economic relations between the two countries.
“But we need to consider the economic interests in light of the need to protect Canadians and uphold the rule of law,” she said. “We will not tolerate foreign governments threatening, extorting or harming Canadians on our territory.”
Ng said the government remains “open to dialogue” with India and looks forward to continuing a “valuable relationship”.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2024.
— With files from Kelly Geraldine Malone, Laura Osman and Brenna Owen
