Trudeau Claims Blinken Said He’d Raise Nijjar Matter with Jaishankar. Top Diplomats Ignore Issue – News18

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday claimed that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured him that he would raise the issue of killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Khalistani separatist-terrorist, during their meeting on Thursday, according to a report by Canada-based National Post.

“The Americans have been with us in speaking to the Indian government about how important it is that they be involved in following up on the credible allegations that agents of the Indian government killed a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil,” Trudeau claimed, according to National Post.

However, according to reports by news agency PTI, there was no mention of the Canada issue when both top diplomats met on Thursday and focus was mostly on enhancing the India-US partnership across several sectors.

The external affairs minister is currently on a five-day official trip to Washington DC. This is the first time both of them have met after the recent G20 Summit in New Delhi.

“Great to meet my friend US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the State Department today. A wide ranging discussion, following up on PM Narendra Modi’s June visit. Also exchanged notes on global developments. Laid the groundwork of our 2+2 meeting very soon,” Jaishankar posted following his meeting.

The readout released after their meeting in the US Secretary of State’s website also does not mention Canada or murder of Nijjar.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada remains committed to building closer ties with India. He, however, maintained that there are “credible allegations” of the Indian government’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

A separate report by the Associated Press citing an unnamed official claimed that Blinken requested cooperation between both nations in the probe.

According to National Post, Trudeau said it is “extremely important” that Canada and its allies continue to engage with India. Trudeau was in Montreal, speaking with media personnel, when he said that Canada and its allies should continue to engage “constructively and seriously” with India given its growing importance on the world stage.

“India is a growing economic power and important geopolitical player. And as we presented with our Indo-Pacific strategy, just last year, we’re very serious about building closer ties with India,” Trudeau was quoted as saying by the National Post.

“At the same time, obviously, as a rule of law country, we need to emphasise that India needs to work with Canada to ensure that we get the full facts of this matter,” he further added.

The Canadian Prime Minister earlier this month claimed that India was involved in the murder of Khalistani separatist-terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India has outrightly rejected the allegations, terming them ‘absurd’ and ‘motivated’. He, however, is yet to provide any public evidence to support the claim about the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.