NEW DELHI:
Canadian
PM Justin
Trudeau
doubled down on the
arrests
last week of three Indian nationals for the
murder
of pro-Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, saying Canada was a “rule of law” country with a fundamental commitment to protecting all its citizens.
Police in Canada arrested and named the three individuals who have been charged with first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
They said the investigations were not over yet, suggesting more murky details could be revealed soon about the killing, some of which might be related to the unsubstantiated claims so far of Indian involvement. Canada has so far not shared any evidence to back its case against India, and, according to Indian authorities, Canadian authorities haven’t yet shared details with India about the charges against the arrested Indian men.
Speaking about the arrests, Trudeau on Saturday stressed this was important because Canada was a rule of law country with a “strong and independent justice system”. He made the remarks at an event organised in Toronto to celebrate Sikh culture and heritage.
“As the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) stated, the investigation remains ongoing, as does a separate and distinct investigation not limited to involvement of the three people arrested yesterday,” said Trudeau, who precipitated a diplomatic crisis with India with his allegations last year in Parliament that Indian agents may have killed Nijjar.
Trudeau went on to say that every Canadian has the fundamental right to live safely and free from discrimination and threats of violence in Canada, while acknowledging that, according to local media reports, Sikhs in Canada were feeling unsafe after the killing of Nijjar.
The arrests came days after a report by Washington Post identified an Indian official who allegedly masterminded a foiled plot in the US to eliminate another Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and who may have had a role in similar plots in Canada. Ottawa claims to be coordinating its actions with the US.
In another development last week, a Canadian public inquiry, which accused China of meddling in Canada’s electoral process, also named India for foreign interference. While India has not officially responded, govt sources here said the report was a “sham” and a self-serving exercise. On the arrests, sources said the matter could only be looked into if Canada shared details about the charges.
On the allegations of Indian involvement, Canada actually has not denied that it has so far not shared any evidence with India. However, it had also said earlier this year that with progress in the investigations, the police would be able to share more information for India to consider.
