Toronto, September 20, 2023 (PPI-OT): The Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has urged India to take the killing of Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Canada with the utmost seriousness.

According to Kashmir Media Service, talking to reporters, Justin Trudeau said the Indian government needs to “take this matter with the utmost seriousness”.

“We are doing that. We are not looking to provoke or escalate,” he said, adding, “We want to work with the government of India to lay everything clear and to ensure there are proper processes.”

Trudeau’s comments came after Canada and India expelled a senior diplomat each following his announcement about the involvement of agents of the Indian government in the killing of the Sikh leader in June. In a speech to the House of Commons on Monday, he said Canadian security agencies have been “actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.”

After Trudeau’s remarks in the Parliament, Canadian Foreign Minister, Melanie Joly, confirmed that she has ordered the expulsion of “a senior Indian diplomat”. In retaliation, India also expelled a Canadian diplomat. Pertinently, bilateral ties between India and Canada have been tense in recent months. Ottawa a few days ago cancelled trade talks with New Delhi.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, the chief of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and a prominent leader of Khalistan movement, was shot dead by unidentified men outside a gurdwara in Surrey city in the western Canadian province of British Columbia on June 18, this year.

For more information, contact:

Kashmir Media Service

Phone: +92-51-4435548, +92-51-4435549

Fax: +92-51-4861736

Email: info@kmsnews.org

Website: www.kmsnews.org