The US on Thursday (local time) said it “firmly rejected” reports that there was any “wedge” in its relationship with Canada over the killing of Khalistani terrorist
“I firmly reject the idea that there is a wedge between the US and Canada,” The Hill quoted National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan as saying in a White House press briefing.
Sullivan’s comments came after the Washington Post reported earlier this week that Canada wanted to come together and condemn India. However, Ottawa’s attempts were rebuffed, the report said.
The shooting of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey in June this year was privately raised by several senior officials of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the US, a Western official was quoted as saying by the Washington Post.
However, the matter was not raised publicly ahead of the G20 Summit in Delhi that was held on September 9 and 10.
Nijjar, one of India’s most-wanted terrorists who carried a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head, was shot dead by two unidentified gunmen outside a gurdwara in Surrey in the western Canadian province of British Columbia on June 18. He was the chief of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF).
On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in a stunning claim, said his country’s intelligence agencies were investigating what he called a “potential link” between “agents of the Indian government” and the killing of Nijjar.
“That’s why we call upon the government of India to work with us, to establish processes to uncover the truth of the matter and to allow justice and accountability to be served,” he said, adding that Ottawa was “not looking to provoke or cause problems”.
