Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said that he will have to be cautious while commenting on the murder of pro-Khalistani Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar due to a still-pending judicial process in connection with the case.
When asked if he had brought up the issue of Nijjar's killing in his recent discussion with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the periphery of the G7 Summit, Carney said, "We have had a discussion, the prime minister and I, regarding the need to have the law enforcement to law enforcement… cooperation directly, the need to address transnational repression, as I mentioned including when we met."
He continued, "And clearly there's a judicial process that's ongoing and I have to be prudent about further comment."
Ties between New Delhi and Ottawa diplomatic relations soured following a suggestion by former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in September 2023 that Indian agents could have been involved in the assassination of Nijjar outside a Surrey gurdwara on June 18, 2023.
India, that had itself designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020, vehemently denied Trudeau's allegations as "absurd" and "motivated."
Trudeau, in giving evidence in April 2024 before a public inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian democratic institutions, insisted that his administration had acted to protect the rights and freedoms of Canadian citizens.
New Delhi has, in turn, blamed the Trudeau government for reportedly allowing pro-Khalistani elements to operate from Canadian soil.
The diplomatic crisis escalated in October 2024 when India recalled its high commissioner and five other diplomats after Ottawa tried to link them to the murder of Nijjar. Canada was met with tit-for-tat, as India had expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats.
Carney, who took over as Canada's Prime Minister in March this year after Trudeau left office, is regarded as a political novice with an economics background. When he was appointed, India had hoped for a new beginning in bilateral ties.
With a "very positive and constructive meeting" between Prime Ministers Modi and Carney at the G7 Summit in Kananaskis on Tuesday, both countries have resolved to restore their High Commissioners shortly, a step towards mending diplomatic relations.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri called the move one of the first "calibrated steps" toward giving balance in what he said was a "very important relationship" between India and Canada.
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