S Jaishankar Meets PM Modi In Parliament Amid Canada Row

Amid the escalating diplomatic tensions between India and Canada, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Canada and India have expelled a senior diplomat each after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged the involvement of "agents of the Indian government" in the killing of a prominent Sikh separatist leader in Surrey in June.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and one of India's most-wanted terrorists who carried a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head, was shot dead by two unidentified gunmen outside a gurdwara in Surrey in the western Canadian province of British Columbia on June 18.

The ties between India and Canada have come under strain in view of New Delhi's concerns over increasing activities of pro-Khalistani elements in that country. Last week, the talks on a bilateral free trade agreement were frozen apparently in view of the deteriorating ties.

"Over the past number of weeks, 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," Trudeau made an explosive statement in a speech to the House of Commons.

After Trudeau's remarks in Parliament, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly confirmed that she has ordered the expulsion of "a senior Indian diplomat." Reacting sharply to the allegations and Joly's remarks, India on Tuesday rejected Trudeau's claims, calling them "absurd and motivated". The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has also asked a Canadian diplomat to leave India within the next five days.

As the tensions escalated between the two countries, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday said he was not looking to "provoke" India, but urged New Delhi to take the killing of a Sikh separatist leader with the "utmost seriousness", according to a PTI report.

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