Justin Trudeau

Replying to a query during a regular press briefing on Monday, spokesman for the US State Department Matthew Miller said: "We remain in close contact with our Canadian partners, as the Secretary (Antony Blinken) said on Friday (September 22). We believe it’s critical that Canada’s investigation proceed and that the perpetrators be brought to justice.

In the days since Trudeau made the explosive announcement, his allies in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance provided seemingly boilerplate public statements, all stopping far short of full-throated support, the BBC reported.

This development necessitates understanding how the Indian diaspora in Canada has evolved and come to affect not only bilateral associations, but also polarise the Canadian Indian community to the extent of inciting concern by governments.

The Khalistani movement had some presence in Canada in the 1970s, but it took root here during Pierre Trudeau’s time as Prime Minister when Parmar escaped to Canada after killing four policemen in India.

Trudeau’s Liberal Party, which with its 157 seats fell short of the majority mark in the 338-member House of Commons in last year’s snap elections, depends on the Jagmeet Singh-led New Democratic Party, which has 24 MPs, for survival.

Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit Singh Sajjan, who was previously the defence minister, told CBC Radio that Trudeau wanted to ensure Canadians had "accurate information' about the story before it made headlines".

Speaking at a news conference here on Thursday, he said, "We are not looking to provoke or cause problems (with India)."

The emboldened dare from Gurpatwant Pannun, legal counsel of SFJ, which is a banned terror outfit in India, comes after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused New Delhi of involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, resulting in tit-for-tat expulsions of senior diplomats.

Talking to mediapersons in Lahore, Pakistan People Party (PPP) chief Bilawal seconded the claims by the Canadian PM, saying that "Islamabad has been stating this for years that India has been spreading unrest in other countries like Pakistan and now Canada as part of its state policy and backing." 

"The government of India needs to take this matter with utmost seriousness. We are doing just that... We are not looking to provoke or escalate," Trudeau said in the morning briefing before the House of Commons started.