Not Trying To Provoke, But Want Answers: Canada PM Trudeau Amid Row With India

A day after making allegations against India, linking the Indian government to the murder of a Khalistani terrorist, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday said that Ottawa is not trying to provoke New Delhi.

"The government of India needs to take this matter with the utmost seriousness. We are doing that, we are not looking to provoke or escalate," Reuters quoted him as saying. His latest comments come after uproar in India over his remarks in the Parliament on Monday.

"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 said in a speech to the House of Commons on Monday.

On June 18, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the leader of the prohibited Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), as well as one of India's most sought-after terrorists with a reward of Rs 10 lakh on his capture, was fatally shot by two unknown assailants outside a gurdwara in Surrey, situated in the western Canadian province of British Columbia.

In his speech, Trudeau told the lawmakers that any involvement of a foreign government in killing a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is "an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty." "It is contrary to the fundamental rules by which free, open, and democratic societies conduct themselves," he said.

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.

"Allegations of the Government of India's involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd and motivated," the MEA said in a statement.

"Similar allegations were made by the Canadian Prime Minister to our Prime Minister, and were completely rejected," it said. "We are a democratic polity with a strong commitment to the rule of law," the MEA said.

"Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India's sovereignty and territorial integrity," it said.

"The inaction of the Canadian Government on this matter has been a long-standing and continuing concern," the ministry said.