BackIndia-Canada row: Justin Trudeau asks India to 'take allegations seriously' and 'cooperate' with murder probe
Canadian PM Trudeau urges India to cooperate in murder probe amid strained diplomatic ties. Visa suspension announced by India earlier on Thursday.
PremiumCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called on India to cooperate with an ongoing murder probe amid increasingly strained diplomatic ties. The western nation is currently probing "credible allegations" about the involvement of Indian government agents in the June killing of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Trudeau however declined to elaborate on the evidence purportedly linking India to the killing.
Addressing the media on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the Canadian PM urged New Delhi to ‘take the allegations seriously’ and work with Ottawa to let justice follow its course. The remarks came mere hours after India announced the temporary suspension of visas for Canadian citizens in view of "security threats" faced by its high commission and consulates in the other country.
“I call upon the government of India to work with us, to take seriously these allegations and to allow justice to follow its course…We have rigorous and independent justice system and robust processes that will follow their course," he said on Thursday evening.
The row had erupted on Monday following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations of a "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing. New Delhi his dismissed the allegations as ‘absurd’.
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“There are credible reasons to believe that agents of the Govt of India were involved in the killing of a Canadian on Canadian soil, which is something of utmost and foundational importance in the country of rule of law, in a world where international rules-based order matters. We have independent justice system and robust processes that will follow their course and we call upon the Govt of India to engage with us to move forward on getting to the truth of this matter," he reiterated on Thursday.
Trudeau said that he had had a ‘direct and frank conversation’ with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to share his concerns ‘in no uncertain terms’.
“We are a country of the rule of law. We are going to continue to do the work necessary to keep Canadians safe and to uphold our values and the international rules-based order. That's our focus right now," he added.
(With inputs from agencies)
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