The dispute between India and Canada over the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar has reached a fever pitch. The controversy began last year, with Canadian police on Monday accusing Indian diplomatic and consular officials of taking advantage of their positions to gather information directly through agents. Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau also reiterated these accusations against India and said that the Indian government was not cooperating with the investigation.
India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied all Canadian accusations and recalled many diplomats, including India’s High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma. The Indian government says there is distrust in Canada’s current government, with the Trudeau government making baseless accusations against India’s vote bank. At the same time, India also expelled six Canadian diplomats.
Canada has shared information about the investigation with the Five Eyes alliance
Trudeau held a press conference on Monday in which he said Canada had shared information about the involvement of Indian agents in the Nijar massacre with all Five Eyes allies.
The Five Eyes alliance is the intelligence organization of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. There is a treaty between the member states of the organization whereby they will share information if any suspicious activity occurs in their area that poses a threat to any member state. The organization consists of 20 intelligence agencies from five countries working together and is considered one of the most powerful intelligence networks in the world.
What do Five Eyes leaders say about Canada’s accusations against India?
USA
Canada’s main ally in the Five Eyes alliance is the United States, which last year commented on Canada’s accusations that Indian agents were involved in the Nijar massacre. The United States later expressed concern over the allegations and said India should cooperate with Canada’s investigation.
Now, the United States is once again commenting on recent tensions. U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told a news conference that India has chosen a different path instead of working with Canada.
Matthew Miller said: “We have made it clear that Canada’s allegations are very serious and should be taken seriously. We hope that India will cooperate with Canada’s investigation, but India will not cooperate.” Instead, India has chosen an alternative path.
In addition, Miller said that India remains a strong ally of the United States and that India is very important to the United States’ free and open Indo-Pacific policy.
The United States needs India to balance China’s growing influence and aggression in the Indo-Pacific region. In view of this, the United States has strengthened its relations with India in recent years and its statements on India-related issues have also tended to be softer.
New Zealand
Five Eyes ally New Zealand has backed Canada amid diplomatic tensions between India and Canada but has not commented on India. New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on social media site X that it would be very worrying if the allegation was confirmed. However, the minister did not mention India by name in his statement and was very careful in describing New Zealand’s position.
Winston Peters wrote on “Additionally, we will not comment on ongoing criminal investigations in New Zealand or overseas, but we would like to say that it is important to respect and follow the rule of law and judicial process. ”
U.K.
Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau has had a phone call with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. A British statement, which did not name India, said both leaders agreed on the importance of the rule of law and were in close dialogue on the findings.
Australia
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese refused to answer any questions about the diplomatic spat between India and Canada at a press conference on Tuesday.
When asked about India-Canada tensions at a press conference, Albanese said: “I have been talking to the Canadian Prime Minister. I also maintain appropriate talks with international leaders and that is our job way. This is why our government is so effective at international diplomacy.
At the same time, a spokesperson for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in an interview with a news website, “Australia has clearly expressed its concerns about Canada’s accusations and respects Canadian judicial procedures.” Our principle is to respect the sovereignty of various countries and the rule of law.
