International Desk: There was tension between India and Canada regarding diplomatic relations over the Khalistan issue. This time, the North American country of Canada clarified its own position.
India
The country's Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison spoke about this at an event in the capital Ottawa on Sunday. At that time, he said, Canada believes in the geographical integrity of India and fully respects it.
Morrison said, we have full support for India's territorial integrity. It is absolutely clear and there is no doubt here. We must respect the integrity of India. India is one and that is the truth.
This is the first time Canada has clarified its position on India's integrity after getting into tension with India last year over the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a top leader of India's separatist Khalistani movement.
Hardeep, a pro-Khalistan Sikh organizer and spiritual leader, moved to Canada in 1977 from Jalandhar district in Punjab, India, and later acquired Canadian citizenship. On June 18, 2023, Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in front of a Gurudwara (Sikh place of worship) in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia's largest city.
Hardeep was also a listed terrorist in New Delhi for being the organizer and leader of the Khalistani Tiger Force, one of India's separatist outfits, and the Canadian branch of Sikhs for Justice. Both organizations are banned in India.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau directly blamed India for the murder. In a speech delivered to the House of Commons, the Canadian Parliament's lower house on September 18 last year, Trudeau said that his country's intelligence has found credible evidence of the Indian government's involvement in Hardeep's murder. He also referred to this incident as a severe insult to Canada's sovereignty.
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New Delhi, however, dismissed the allegations as completely 'baseless' and 'fabricated'. But after Trudeau's allegations, New Delhi and Ottawa got into an unprecedented conflict. International political analysts say that the recent statement of Canada's deputy foreign minister is an indication of the country's interest in resolving the conflict with India.
