US and UK side with Canada in Nijjar investigation and ask India for cooperation

The US and UK have sided with Canada in its investigation into the assassination of Canadian Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year, and labeled top Indian diplomats, including the former high commissioner (who was later recalled by India), as “persons “of interest” identified. , and said they expected cooperation from India.

“We are in contact with our Canadian partners regarding the serious developments outlined in the independent investigations in Canada. The United Kingdom has full confidence in the Canadian justice system. “Respect for sovereignty and the rule of law is essential,” said a statement from the spokesman for Britain’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) released on Wednesday.

“The Indian government’s cooperation with the Canadian legal process is the right next step,” the statement added.

The USA supports its neighbor

The US also supported Canada’s investigation, saying the allegations against Indian officials and diplomats were extremely serious and India should have cooperated. “As far as the Canadian matter is concerned, we made it clear that the allegations are extremely serious and must be taken seriously, and we wanted the Indian government to cooperate with Canada in its investigation. “Obviously they didn’t choose that path,” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The United States has urged both countries to cooperate and will continue to urge them to do so, Miller added.

Expel diplomats

On Monday, Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, including the high commissioner, while India expelled six senior Canadian diplomats after a bitter exchange after Ottawa sent a diplomatic note to India the previous day saying the top Indian diplomats were ” Persons of Interest”. the investigation into the murder of Nijjar.

Nijjar, a supporter of the Khalistani movement, was shot dead on June 18, 2023 in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.

India strongly rejected the “absurd insinuations,” attributing them to the Trudeau government’s policy agenda focused on “vote bank politics.”