Mint Explainer: What the world thinks of Trudeau’s allegations against India

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau’s insinuation that India had a hand in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pro-Khalistan leader, has had global repercussions. These allegations drew comment from the US, the UK and Australia and have echoed around the world. Mint looks at what is going on.

What did Trudeau allege?

On Monday, Trudeau told the House of Commons that the country’s intelligence agencies were investigating “credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.” He went on to say that Canada had made its concerns clear to the Indian government. “Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” he added. He also called for India to cooperate with Canada in establishing the truth of the matter.

Which foreign nations will be impacted by Trudeau’s allegations?

Prior to making his allegations in front of Canada’s House of Commons, Trudeau briefed US President Joe Biden, the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron about the matter. According to a report in the Washington Post, Canada also approached countries part of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which also includes Australia and New Zealand, prior to the G20 Summit in New Delhi. However, the same report states that these countries were unwilling to make a joint statement calling out India for its alleged role in killing Nijjar.

What have international reactions been?

"We are deeply concerned about the allegations referenced by Prime Minister Trudeau," said Adrienne Watson, who serves as spokesperson of the US National Security Council. “We remain in regular contact with our Canadian partners. It is critical that Canada's investigation proceed and the perpetrators be brought to justice,” she went on to add. UK foreign secretary James Cleverly backed a probe into the killing of Nijjar. Australia’s foreign minister Penny Wong also said that his country's concerns on hearing the allegations and also revealed that Australia had communicated the same to India. She also noted that investigations were still underway.

Why is this important?

These countries are caught in a difficult bind. While Canada has been a close ally historically, India is an emerging partner which has considerable strategic heft. Keeping India on side as competition with China heats up is a strategic imperative for the UK, the US, France and Australia. Their measured statements represent them trying to walk a thin line between supporting Canada’s investigation and not offending India.