Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed confidence on Thursday that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken would raise the issue of a Sikh separatist leader’s murder with his Indian counterpart during their meeting later in the day.
Trudeau made these remarks during a press conference in Quebec, 10 days after announcing that Canada suspected Indian government agents were involved in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which occurred in British Columbia in June.
Last week, India suspended new visas for Canadians and requested that Ottawa reduce its diplomatic presence in the country, citing a deteriorating security environment.
Blinken is scheduled to meet with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Thursday.
When asked directly if Blinken would discuss the case, Trudeau replied, “The Americans will certainly discuss this matter with the Indian government.”
India has dismissed Canada’s allegations as absurd. However, Jaishankar stated on Tuesday that New Delhi had informed Canada that it was willing to investigate any specific and relevant information regarding the killing.
“We told the Canadians that this is not the government of India’s policy,” Jaishankar said. “If you have something specific, if you have something relevant, let us know. We are open to looking at it.”
Canada’s allies, including the United States, have cautiously expressed concern over the allegations and have urged India to cooperate with Canada’s investigation.
The US ambassador to Canada revealed that some information regarding the case had been gathered by the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which consists of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.