New Delhi: India has undergone a ‘tonal shift’ in its position on earlier allegations made by Ottawa after the unsealing of a US indictment implicating an Indian government official in a conspiracy to target a Sikh separatist on US soil, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has asserted.
In an interview with CBC News, Trudeau said that there has been more restraint from New Delhi after last month’s indictment compared to the outraged tone that greeted his statement two months earlier.
“I think there is a beginning of an understanding that they can’t bluster their way through this and there is an openness to collaborating in a way that perhaps they were less open before,” he said.
When asked to elaborate, he explained, “There’s an understanding that maybe, maybe just churning out attacks against Canada isn’t going to make this problem go away.”
To the interviewer’s suggestion that there was change in New Delhi, Trudeau added, “I wouldn’t say that there is a change, but there may be a tonal shift, perhaps”.
He emphasised that Ottawa was not pursuing a confrontation with India, but it was fundamental for Canada to uphold the rule of law.
“We don’t want to be in a situation of having a fight with India right now over this. We want to be working on that trade deal. We want to be advancing the Indo-Pacific strategy. But it is foundational for Canada to stand up for people’s rights, for people’s safety, and for the rule of law. And that’s what we’re going to do,” said the Canadian prime minister.
In September, Trudeau had stood in the lower chamber of the Canadian parliament to make an explosive allegation that there was credible information that potentially links agents of the Indian government in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen whom India had described as a Khalistani terrorist.
Both countries expelled one diplomat each, but India went further and stopped visa services for Canadian nationals, which was eventually resumed after a month.
The Indian government also demanded parity in diplomatic representation, which led Canada to recall 47 diplomats posted in India.
On November 29, US prosecutors filed a new and detailed indictment that charged an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, for a thwarted plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist in New York City. The indictment had also accused an unnamed, but identified, Indian government official for being the main mastermind.
In contrast to its response to Canada, the Indian government announced that a high-level committee of inquiry has been set up to look into the “inputs” provided by the US.
In answer to questions in parliament, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar had said that the disparity in response was due to Canada not sharing any evidence with India.
Last week, Trudeau had committed to disclose evidence in the manner that the US did once the investigation reached that stage.
He pointed out that US authorities had started their investigation into the attempted murder much earlier.
“Canada is investigating a murder and there are different stakes involved in that and our justice system has different processes,” he explained.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the first time commented on the allegations made of an Indian government official being involved in the conspiracy to kill the Sikh separatist in New York in an interview with the Financial Times.
Although not named by the indictment, the alleged conspiracy’s target is believed to be Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, general counsel for ‘Sikhs for Justice’, a proscribed group in India.
“If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it. If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law,” Modi said.
However, PM Modi also stated that India was deeply concerned about the activities of certain overseas-based extremist groups. “These elements, purportedly under the banner of freedom of expression, have been involved in intimidation and incitement of violence”.
“I don’t think it is appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries,” he added.
