New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had a “brief exchange” for the second time in four months at a multilateral summit this week, with Trudeau stating that he emphasised the need for further work, while India countered that there was “no substantive discussion”.
The first time was on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy, which was their first tete-a-tete after Canada had accused Indian government agents of being involved in the killing of a Sikh Canadian citizen.
At a press conference in Laos on Friday, Trudeau told Canadian media that he had a “brief exchange” with Modi on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, though he did not specify when it occurred or what was said.
“I emphasised that there is work we need to do,” Trudeau said, adding: “I won’t go into details about what we talked about, but what I’ve said many times is that the safety of Canadians and upholding the rule of law are fundamental responsibilities of any Canadian government, and that’s what I’ll stay focused on.”
The Indian prime minister had been in Laos for two days, on October 10 and 11, to take part in the ASEAN-India annual meeting and the East Asia summit.
A day earlier, Canadian foreign affairs minister Melanie Joly, in open testimony at the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference, described relations with India as “tense” and “difficult”.
According to CBC News, she also mentioned the lingering threat of more killings like Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s on Canadian soil.
When asked about the “threat” from India on Friday, Trudeau said: “We are seeing troubling patterns of violence affecting Indo-Canadians right across the country over the past number of months, and this is an issue that I can assure you we will continue to be very, very seized with.”
There was no public statement from India. However, official sources acknowledged that the two leaders came face-to-face but maintained that there “was no substantive discussion between PM Modi and Prime Minister Trudeau in Vientiane.”
“India continues to expect that anti-India Khalistani activities will not be allowed on Canadian soil and that firm action, which has been lacking so far, will be taken against those advocating violence, extremism and terrorism against India from Canadian territory,” said sources.
Indian officials also pointed out that the “growing nexus of such forces with organised crime, drug syndicates and human trafficking should be a concern for Canada as well.”
The sources further noted that while India “attaches importance” to its relationship with Canada, it cannot be mended unless the Canadian government takes “strict and verifiable action” against those actively pursuing anti-India activities and conspiring to promote hate, disinformation, communal disharmony and violence in both India and Canada.
In September 2023, Trudeau made a startling claim in the Canadian House of Commons, alleging that officials from the Indian government might have been involved in the Nijjar’s killing in June 2023.
Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, had been labelled by India as a Khalistani terrorist.
India responded with outrage, suspending visa services for Canadians and forcing the withdrawal of more than 40 Canadian diplomats.
Even as relations remain frozen, Canadian police charged four Indian nationals with first-degree murder and conspiracy in connection with Nijjar’s death this year.
Ten months after Trudeau made the stunning claim, the Indian prime minister’s official X account posted a photo of Modi and Trudeau holding hands and conversing. The post on June 14 simply read, “Met Canadian PM Justin Trudeau at the G7 Summit.”
While the Indian prime minister’s office publicised the photo of their meeting in Italy, Trudeau made no mention of it on his social media channels.
Later, Trudeau’s spokesperson issued a brief statement confirming there had been an “interaction” on the sidelines of the G7 summit.
There had been no further immediate detail from the Indian side besides the photo.
This time, it was Trudeau who disclosed their encounter in Laos, with India not taking the initiative to announce it.
