Trudeau says 'tonal shift' from India after US allegation of Pannun murder plot

Justin Trudeau mentioned he has sensed a 'tonal shift' from India towards Canada since US authorities indicted an Indian national for a foiled plot to kill a Khalistani terrorist.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday (local time) said that he feels there is "a tonal shift" in India-Canada relations since the United States warned New Delhi about the involvement of an Indian national in an alleged plot to kill Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Canadian broadcaster CBC reported.

Trudeau stated India may realise now that "they can't bluster their way through this".

"I think there is a beginning of an understanding that they can't bluster their way through this and there is an openness to collaborating in a way that perhaps they were less open before," the CBC quoted the Canadian Prime Minister.

Trudeau added, "There's an understanding that maybe, maybe just churning out attacks against Canada isn't going to make this problem go away."

He also emphasised that Canada does not want to engage in a "fight with India right now over this" and stressed the importance of "standing up for people's safety and the rule of law".

"We want to be working on that trade deal. We want to be advancing the Indo-Pacific strategy. But it is foundational for Canada to stand up for people's rights, for people's safety, and for the rule of law. And that's what we're going to do," Trudeau said.

On November 29, the US Justice Department charged a 52-year-old Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, with involvement in an alleged murder plot against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is an American citizen.

India responded swiftly stating that any such act is "contrary to government policy" and announced a high-level probe into the matter.

In September of this year, Trudeau informed the Canadian parliament that the country's agencies were investigating the involvement of Indian agents in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was a Canadian citizen.

India dismissed the allegations as "absurd" and "motivated", leading to an unprecedented diplomatic crisis between the two countries.

Published By:
Rishabh Sharma
Published On:
Dec 20, 2023