Page 14 - The Indian EYE 101323

NATION OCTOBER 13, 2023 | The Indian Eye 14

Nijjar Murder Row: How is India-Canada

spat putting the US in a tricky situation?

Canada has yet to provide any public evidence to support the claim about the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar

OUR BUREAU

New Delhi/Ottawa
mid the ongoing diplomatic
standoff between India and
ACanada in light of the latter’s al-
legation of Indian involvement in the
killing of Sikh separatist leader Hard-
eep Singh Nijjar, a Toronto-based me-
dia publication, CTV News, claimed
in a report that a majority of the Ca-
nadian diplomats working in India,
outside the national capital, have
been moved to either Kuala Lumpur
or Singapore. The report comes a day
after the Indian side sought reduction
of Canada’s diplomatic staff in India.
Earlier, Canadian Prime Minis-
ter Justin Trudeau alleged during a
debate in Parliament, claimed the In-
dian government was behind the fatal
shooting of Nijjar.
Trudeau, during a debate in the
Canadian Parliament, claimed that
his country’s national security officials
had reasons to believe that “agents of
the Indian government” carried out
the killing of the Canadian citizen, Members of United Hindu Front stage a protest against Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over India- Canada issue in New Delhi (ANI)
who also served as the president of
Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara.
However, India has outrightly dia’s “internal matters”. Amid the diplomatic spat, dence of the Canadian-Indian issue,
rejected the claims, calling it ‘absurd’ Amid the diplomatic sabre-rattil- New Delhi suspended the visa op- but I do know that China has made a
and ‘motivated’. ing between the two countries, New erations to Canada and sought a big effort to interfere in the domestic
Notably, Canada has yet to pro- Delhi suspended visa operations to reduction in Canadian diplomat- affairs of Canada through the ways I
vide any public evidence to support Canada and called for a reduction in ic presence in India citing “in- mentioned. And it’s particularly iron-
the claim about the killing of Hard- Canadian diplomatic staff in India. terference in internal matters”. ic, because you may remember that
eep Singh Nijjar. Amid the diplomatic sparring and On whether such tensions as the for decades China was the loudest
In a weekly presser on Thurs- souring of bilateral ties in the wake one between New Delhi and Otta- demander that nobody interfere in
day, the official spokesperson of the of Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s wa could breed disinformation cam- their domestic affairs, and yet when
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), allegation of Indian involvement in paigns, Rubin said it is an area that is it comes to information manipulation,
Arindam Bagchi told reporters, “Giv- the killing of Sikh separatist leader ripe for “information manipulation”, when it comes to interfering in the
en the much higher presence of dip- Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Special adding that China has “definitely politics in Canada, when it comes to
lomats or diplomatic presence here... Envoy and Coordinator, Global En- made a big effort” to interfere in the the South China Sea, where they’re
and their continued interference in gagement Center, James Rubin said domestic affairs of Canada. interfering in the territorial waters of
our internal matters, we have sought the standoff was a “tricky subject” as “Let me just say in our report, if countries around the region, when it
parity in our respective diplomatic he sought cooperation into the inves- you take a look at it, there are a few comes to the famous balloon incident
presence. Discussions are ongoing on tigation as far as it goes. examples given about particular Chi- - suddenly sovereignty is not so im-
the modalities of achieving this”. During a virtual press briefing on nese interference in Canadian domes- portant to the Chinese Government,”
“Given that Canadian diplomatic October 5, the US special envoy said, tic politics and in their universities he added.
presence is higher, we would assume “This is a tricky subject. Let me just and ways in which they’ve sought to “This is the first comprehensive
that there would be a reduction,” he say that we support Canada’s investi- manipulate their individuals, coerce U.S. State Department analysis of
added. Stating that India’s focus is on gation. We want everyone to help - in- individuals, and discredit individuals. how Beijing employs these deceptive
achieving ‘parity’ in terms of its dip- cluding the Indian Government - help And those accounts are in the report, and coercive methods as it attempts
lomatic presence, the Ministry of Ex- advance the investigation into this and I urge you to take a look at that. to distort the global information
ternal Affairs called for a reduction terrible assassination, and we would This is obviously an area that is ripe for space. It’s doing so to advance its
in Canadian diplomats in India citing urge everyone to cooperate and to information manipulation,” he said. geopolitical objectives,” Rubin told
their continued “interference” in In- take the investigation as far as it goes.” “I haven’t seen any specific evi- media persons.

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