Statements from the Indian and Canadian foreign ministers after their meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. It left one wondering whether the killing of Canada-based Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, where Ottawa alleged Indian involvement, mattered any more to them.Look at Melanie Jolly’s statement.
“At #MSC2024, @DrSJaishankar and I had a frank discussion on Canada-India relations and the current global issues, including Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine,” she wrote on X.
Contrast this with External Affairs Minister Jaishankar’s statement, also on X. “Met my Canadian counterpart FM @melaniejoly on the sidelines of #MSC2024. Our conversation understandably focused on the present state of our bilateral ties. Was also useful to exchange views on the global situation,”
Joly’s statement was broad and while she may have raised the Nijjar issue, it’s not clear how far the Canadian probe into Prime Minister Trudeau’s allegation of a “credible” Indian, has progressed. Jaishankar’s reference to “present state of our bilateral ties,” was clearly with reference to Nijjar, which has hit bilateral relations with Delhi and Ottawa carrying out tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats.
Nijjar was shot dead outside a Sikh gurudwara in Surrey, a city in British Columbia. India has denied any role in his death and the suspicion is it was the result of rivalry between Sikh groups. India had declared Niijar a terrorist in 2020 and had repeatedly expressed concern about the activities of Sikh extremists in Canada.
