Nijjar killing row: ‘We cannot bend rules’ says Canadian diplomat. Here’s how India-Canada dispute was dealt with at UN

Amid the escalating tension between Canada and India, Canadian UN Ambassador, Robert Rae, said, "we cannot bend the rules of state-to-state relations for political expediency," at the UN General Assembly in New York on September 26, reported AP. 

Indian and Canadian diplomats indirectly addressed their countries' dispute over the killing of a Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and obliquely emphasised some key talking points, reported AP. Indian Foreign Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, said that the world must not "countenance that political convenience determines responses to terrorism, extremism and violence." 

Tensions between India and Canada escalated following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's claim that India might have been involved in the June killing of a Canadian citizen in a Vancouver suburb. Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was a leader of the Khalistan movement, advocating for an independent Sikh homeland. India had designated him a terrorist.

“Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” India’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

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Canada has yet to provide public evidence to support Trudeau's claim, while India dismissed it as "absurd." India accused Canada of harbouring “terrorists and extremists.” The ministry claimed that Trudeau was trying to gain domestic support among the Sikh diaspora. 

However, Canada along with other Western nations is strengthening ties with India to counter Chinese influence. India, currently holding the presidency of the G20, was not eager to draw attention to Canada's accusation at UN's global platform. Trudeau said Canada was “ not looking to provoke or cause problems,” days later after making Nijjar's killing allegations.

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“But the truth is: If we don’t adhere to the rules that we’ve agreed to, the very fabric of our open and of our free societies may start to tear,” Robert Rae said at the 78th session of UNGA.

“When we aspire to be a leading power, this is not for self-aggrandizement, but to take on greater responsibility and make more contributions,” Jaishankar said. “The goals we have set for ourselves will make us different from all those whose rise preceded ours.”

(With inputs from AP)