While warning that the outcome on the trial of four Indian nationals accused of murdering pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar remains uncertain, India’s High Commissioner to Ottawa said that if evidence emerges linking members of the Indian establishment to the crime, New Delhi will work with Canada to take action.
High Commissioner Dinesh Patnaik made these remarks in an interview with the Hindustan Times on Saturday. He said, “We have nothing to worry about on this account. We want to work with the Canadians to bring the perpetrators to justice. And if we find there are elements within our own establishment who have been involved in it and there is evidence to prove the link, then we will take action.”
While cautioning that the criminal case involving four Indian nationals accused in Nijjar’s murder is in progress and no evidence of an Indian link has been presented till date. Patnaik said, “If there is any evidence that the Americans want to provide to the Canadians, fine. If the Canadians have evidence, fine. Like I have always maintained, if we find there are elements within the Indian establishment who have done something wrong, we will ourselves take action. And we will work with the Canadians to take action on that.”
“Mature democracies, major countries, interact with other countries based on multiple issues,” he said, and pointed out progress in the security space underscored how trust is being built back at a “rapid pace”.
He also stressed that India’s relations with Canada were in a “good place”. That was exemplified by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand holding their fifth bilateral meeting in just six months on Saturday, testimony to the effort being put in by Ottawa and New Delhi to strengthen bilateral ties.
The latest bilateral was on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany. After that meeting on Saturday, Anand posted, “Canada remains committed to constructive engagement, and I look forward to continuing our efforts in India.”
Jaishankar said, in a post on X, “India-Canada ties continue their steady progress.”
Both countries are working to take the relationship to the next level ahead of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expected visit to India next month. While matters of convergence are being discussed, there are also the hard conversations taking place, including on security and law order.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval visited Ottawa earlier this month and met his Canadian counterpart Nathalie Drouin as well as Canada’s Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree.
Relations between the two countries had cratered after then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had stated in the House of Commons on September 18, 2023, that there were “credible allegations” of a potential link between Indian agents and the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia three months year. India had described those accusations as “absurd” and “motivated.”
The guilty plea of Indian national Nikhil Gupta in an American Federal court on Friday in the murder-for-hire plot targeting Sikhs for Justice or SFJ general counsel Gurpatwant Pannun has cast light on the Nijjar killing again as it was cited in the US’ documents.
But senior Indians officials have told the Hindustan Times that the Nikhil Gupta case was an instance of how mature democracies work with each other.” Despite the guilty plea, it is not holding up the relationship with the United States, a person familiar with the matter said..