Change in India's tone after warning from US over assassination plot: Justin Trudeau

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday said that he had sensed a shift in India's tone with Canada after a warning from the US over the alleged assassination plot on American soil. 

"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," Trudeau said in an interview with CBC News. 

"There's an understanding that maybe, maybe just churning out attacks against Canada isn't going to make this problem go away." When asked whether something had changed, Trudeau said: "I would not say it has changed, but might be a tonal shift, perhaps."

"We don't want to be in a situation of having a fight with India right now over this," he said. "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."

Earlier in September, Trudeau made an explosive claim when he said there were 'credible allegations' of a potential link between "agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar". He said the Canadian security agencies had been actively pursuing the case. 

India rejected the charges saying: "Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity."

However, earlier this month, the US came up with a similar allegation of the involvement of India in a plot to assassinate Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil. Pannun is a leader of the US-based Sikhs for Justice, which has been designated as a terrorist outfit by India.

After the US raised the issue with India, New Delhi constituted a high-level committee to look into the matter. "During discussions with the US on bilateral security cooperation, the US side shared some inputs pertaining to nexus between organized criminals, gun runners, terrorists, and others...In this context, it is informed that on 18 November 2023, the Government of India constituted a high-level Enquiry Committee to look into all the relevant aspects of the matter."

When suggestions were made that India was reacting differently to the US and Canada on issues that were the same in nature, New Delhi said Washington shared evidence while Ottawa did not provide any specific information about its allegations. 

While responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, EAM S Jaishankar said that "certain inputs" were given to India by the US as part of bilateral security cooperation and those inputs were of concern to New Delhi because they related to the nexus of organised crime, trafficking and other matters. "So, because it has a bearing on our own national security, it was decided to institute an inquiry into the matter and an inquiry committee has been constituted"

"Insofar as Canada is concerned, no specific evidence or inputs were provided to us. So, the question of equitable treatment to two countries, one of whom has provided inputs and one of whom has not, does not arise," Jaishankar said.

"No specific information has been shared by Canada on this case, either then or before or after. We are willing to look at any specific information. We have conveyed this to the Canadian side and made it clear to them that we are willing to look at any specific information that is provided to us. But so far we have not received any such specific information," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said during a weekly briefing on September 21.