Washington: The US on Wednesday urged the Indian government to cooperate in the Canadian investigation while reiterating that it is deeply concerned about the allegations by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the killing of Sikh separatist Nijjar Singh.
In response to a question on the India-Canada row, during the press briefing, the US State Department Principal Deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said, "We would just reiterate again we are, and continue to be, deeply concerned about the allegations referenced by Prime Minister Trudeau, and we remain in regular contact with our Canadian partners. And it’s critical that Canada’s investigation proceed and the perpetrators be brought to justice".
"We also have, as we previously said, publicly and privately urged the Indian Government to cooperate in the Canadian investigation and cooperate in those efforts", Patel said.
The relations between India and Canada have been pushed to a new low after Canadian PM Trudeau alleged that Indian govt agents were linked to the murder of the Sikh Separatist Nijjar Singh in Canada in June. However, India has rejected the allegation calling it 'absurd' and 'motivated'.
In retaliation to such allegations, New Delhi suspended new visas for Canadians on September 22 and asked Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence in the country. Trudeau said Ottawa was not looking to escalate the dispute.
Last week, EAM Jaishankar reiterated there was a "climate of violence" and an "atmosphere of intimidation" against Indian diplomats in Canada, where the presence of Sikh separatist groups has frustrated New Delhi.
When asked about the US position on the Khalistan issue and the referendum carried out by them, the US spokesperson further said, "We are not going to comment on the unofficial referendum. What I will just say is that, broadly across the board, individuals have the right to freedom of speech and, the right to peacefully assemble in the United States, all of which are in line with our First Amendment protections and adherence, of course, to any appropriate federal and local regulations. So I will just leave it at that".
On the question of India revoking Canadian diplomats to leave the country, Vedant Patel said, "We take these allegations very seriously, and we continue to not just work closely with our Canadian partners, but have, as I said, publicly and privately urged the Indian Government to cooperate with Canada also".
India has told Canada that it must repatriate the diplomats by Oct. 10. New Delhi has said that any diplomat amongst those on the list staying above this period will lose his/her diplomatic immunity. However, when asked about the development, India's External Affairs Ministry declined to comment.
