Will Unequivocally Stand Up For Rule Of Law: Trudeau On India-Canada Row

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has once again accused India of violating the Vienna Convention as he reiterated his allegation of India's involvement in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

The Canadian PM has urged India "to get into the bottom of this matter" while asking its allies to investigate Ottawa's claims on Nijjar's killing on Canadian soil.

"This is something that we are taking very seriously. We will continue to work with all partners as law enforcement and investigative agencies continue to do their work. Canada is a country that will always stand up for the rule of law. Because if it might start to make them right, and if bigger countries can violate international law without consequences, then the whole world gets more dangerous for everyone," he told reporters.

When questioned about an incident where Indian-origin parliamentarian Chandan Arya invited High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma for an event on Parliament Hill, Trudeau alleged that India had breached the Vienna Convention. He pointed to the evacuation of over 40 Canadian diplomats from the Asian country, who were subsequently relocated to other destinations, including Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

The Canadian PM expressed his disappointment over the move and said, "Think about it from our perspective. We have serious reasons to believe that agents of the government of India could have been involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil. And India's response is to kick out a whole bunch of Canadian diplomats by violating their rights under the Vienna Convention. That is of concern to countries around the world."

"Because if a given country can just decide that their diplomats of another country are no longer protected, that makes International Relations more dangerous and more serious, but every step of the way, we have tried to work constructively and positively with India and we will continue to and that means continuing to work with Indian government diplomats," he added.

"This is not a fight we want to be having right now. But we will unequivocally always stand up for the rule of law because that's who Canada is," he added.

Tensions flared between India and Canada last month following Trudeau's explosive allegations of the "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia.