ANALYSIS – This is a strange but serious situation between two important American allies. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused India of being behind the assassination of a Sikh-Canadian citizen on its soil – an unprecedented charge to make against a fellow G7 nation.
The crisis has the potential to complicate America's burgeoning “strategic partnership” with India. (RELATED: Moon Race – India Catching Up To US And China With Lunar Mission)
Trudeau's rare attack comes just days after New Delhi hosted a G20 Summit.
Even if the accusations prove true, Canada may be on the wrong side of the issue.
“India is important in Western calculations for balancing China, and Canada is not,” said Stephanie Carvin, a professor of international relations at Ottawa's Carleton University, as reported by Firstpost.
“This really does put Canada offside among all other Western countries,” she said.
As Newsweek reported:
The dispute comes at an unwelcome time for many other developed countries, including the U.K. and Australia, which have also forged closer ties with India to combat China's growing influence. Britain — which is working with India on a post-Brexit deal — said it will continue negotiations as the Canadian probe progresses.
While many of them could wait to see what comes out of Canada's probe, the bigger question is, what lies ahead if the investigation finds India's involvement?
It's hard to predict at this point, but it does have the potential to change things significantly for India, which is portraying itself as a rising global power.
The Canadians claim to be investigating “credible allegations” that Indian agents were behind the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader.
Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was shot and killed in June outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia.
Trudeau said Tuesday Canada wasn't trying to “provoke” India or “escalate” the situation but was “simply laying out the facts.”
He said his government would “follow the evidence and make sure that the work is done to hold people to account.”
New Delhi rejects the allegations, which have plunged India-Canada relations into crisis. (RELATED: US Strengthening Defense Ties With India To Face China)
Canada expelled a top Indian official from the country in the wake of the allegations, and on Tuesday, India responded by expelling a Canadian diplomat from New Delhi.
India has also suspended visas for Canadian citizens citing “security threats.”
The Indian authorities accuse Nijjar of involvement in an alleged attack on a Hindu priest in India.
India has long accused Canada of not doing enough to tackle a rebel movement in the country supporting the creation of a separate Sikh homeland known as Khalistan, which would include parts of India's Punjab state, where most Sikhs live.
The independence movement is banned in India but has been attracting growing support in Canada and other countries, including Britain, with large Sikh diaspora populations.
Canada itself is home to more than 770,000 Sikhs – about two percent of the country's total population.
Meanwhile the U.S. has called on India to cooperate with a Canadian investigation into potential links tying the Indian government and the killing of Nijjar as Team Biden follows the lead set by Donald Trump by trying to deepen U.S. ties with New Delhi.
Newsweek added:
“There's been some speculation out there that the United States rebuffed Canada in terms of talking about their investigation… We're coordinating, and we're consulting with Canada closely on this issue,” National Security Council Strategic Communications Director John Kirby said.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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I would like to see what Canada has to prove India was behind the murder. without having any evidence to go by I can say if Canada is on the right tract then is is possible some group in India was responsible for the murder or some fraction in Canada. This does not say that Indias Intelligence Agency is not involved it just is possible that there are many possibilities. Like any good investigator knows find suspects, check motives and get what ever physical evidence availably. Since the Canadian Government made an accusation with out evidence then it becomes meaningless
Justin Trudeau’s father former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau supported the terrorists who wanted a separate Sikh State in India. In 1985 Pierre Trudeau’s was defeated but his political appointees slow walked and even interfered with Sikh Terrorist Air India bombing that was planned and carried out by Canadian resident Sikh terrorists.
Trudeau is inbed with the Chinese (as in owned) and if this hurts India and helps China that would be Trudeau’s motive.
globalist puppet, god worshiping trudeau continues to obey his orders from his globalists and continues to preach globalist agendas .
Excuse me: Trudeau’s ideas of humanity and politics are far from “globalism”!
Assassination, Murder, Poison, Drone Missile Plural Murder are “NORMAL” now!
AND MORE ON OUR “GOOD” side. Think of the 9/11 Mass Murder – not just in New York and Washington, bit 1973 in Chile! The Maidan Putsch-Murder – with a US sniper Instructor! The Million Mass Murder in Indonesia after Sukarno’s death. The killing of Lumumba and shooting down of the UN Secretary General in Congo – by CIA and MI6! – These are only the better-known ones – and the numbers have gone up with the “IMPERSONAL KILLINGS FROM THE SKY”.
WE HAVE NO HIGHER LEVEL OF ANY “VALUES” THAN AL CAPONE!
SOME SAY: NOT EVEN THAN HITLER AND STALIN – and may be right!