Canada urged India to collaborate in the inquiry into the killing of a Khalistani terrorist in British Columbia. This request comes following the disclosure by the US that it had thwarted an assassination plot against another Sikh separatist within its borders.
Here are the top ten developments.
1. Earlier on Wednesday, the US Justice Department announced charges against a 52-year-old individual who collaborated with an Indian government employee to plan the assassination of a New York City resident advocating for a Sikh independent state in northern India. These charges follow Canada's statement approximately two months ago, asserting “credible” accusations connecting Indian agents to the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in a Vancouver suburb in June. India has refuted these allegations.
2. As reported by Reuters, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa, “The news coming out of the United States further underscores what we've been talking about from the very beginning, which is that India needs to take this seriously,” adding, “The Indian government needs to work with us to ensure that we're getting to the bottom of this.”
Also Read: Who is Nikhil Gupta, arrested for planning to kill Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in US?
3. Earlier on November 26, Sanjay Kumar Verma, India's High Commissioner to Canada, stated that the Indian government is collaborating with an American inquiry related to an alleged foiled assassination attempt, rather than Canada's investigation into the June killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia due disparities in the information shared between the two nations during their respective investigations.
4. “One is that the investigation in the case of the US, as far as I know and understand, because again, I don't oversee India-US relations is at a much advanced stage. And therefore, I presume that there would be better information shared within India," Verma told CTV News.
5. On Wednesday, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly called on India to provide more cooperation in the ongoing murder investigation. As of now, Canadian authorities have not filed charges against anyone in connection with the killing of Nijjar.
6. Making point to the Indian government, Joly told reporters, “Clearly we expect more cooperation on their part and more engagement on their part.”
8. In September, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau stated that there were credible allegations suggesting potential links between the Indian government and the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. Despite India dismissing the accusation as absurd, Canada took the action of expelling a senior Indian diplomat, and in retaliation, India responded with a reciprocal measure.
7. Both the United States and Canada are looking to build better ties with India to counter Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region, and the allegations undermine that effort.
Also Read: Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was an 'asset of Canada’s Intelligence Services'?
8. On Wednesday, a United States official employed by the Indian government has been indicted on charges related to hiring someone for a murder-for-hire plot aimed at killing Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Khalistani separatist and the leader of the banned Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) organization, within the United States. “As alleged, the defendant conspired from India to assassinate, right here in New York City, a US citizen of Indian origin who has publicly advocated for the establishment of a sovereign state for Sikhs, an ethnoreligious minority group in India," he said in a release.
9. In an exclusive interview with TIME, speaking on what reasons might the Indian government have for being involved in a plot to assassinate him, Pannun said that they (the Indian government) cannot afford for me to be alive as he has achieved a narrative. “So they cannot afford for me to be alive as I have achieved a narrative. I'm able to educate, and peacefully and democratically challenge India's narrative of terror and terrorism. There are reports from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the US Department of State in 1994, and other agencies about what transpired between 1984 to 1995. But we haven’t had a peaceful and democratic resolution to the contentious issue that has never been asked since 1950: should Punjab be an independent country? It was never asked of the people of Punjab in 1947, nor has it ever been put up on a ballot," Pannun told the TIME.
10. In July 2020, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun was officially labelled as a terrorist by the Union Home Ministry. Two months following this designation, the government instructed the attachment of his properties under Section 51A of the rigorous Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
(With inputs from agencies)
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