OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called on the Indian government to cooperate with Canada in the investigation of the killing of India-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar after the United States Justice Department filed an indictment against an Indian national for his alleged involvement in a foiled plot to kill a US-based leader of the Sikh separatist movement in New York, CBC News reported.
Truedeau was quoted by CBC as saying that the news coming out of the US underscores the need for India to take the issue seriously.
Speaking to reporters, Trudeau said, “The news coming out of the United States further underscores what we’ve been talking about from the very beginning: which is India needs to take this seriously.”
He said, “The Indian government needs to work with us to ensure that we’re getting to the bottom of this. This is not something that anyone can take lightly,” according to the CBC News report.
Meanwhile, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said that she would not make remarks on the US criminal case but added she expected more from India, CBC News reported.
She said, “Clearly, we expect more cooperation on their part. And more engagement on their part.” Joly made the remarks in Brussels, where she was attending a NATO meeting.
The US Justice Department unsealed the indictment against the Indian national about two months after Trudeau made allegations about India’s involvement in the killing of Nijjar in British Colombia’s Surrey in June.