‘We share values with our partners, let inquiry committee decide’: Indian envoy to UK on Canada’s accusation in Nijjar case

London [UK]: On Canada’s accusation of Indian involvement in the killing of India-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Vikram Doraiswami, on Thursday, said, “Let the inquiry committee come to a decision. We share values and interests with our partners.”

“The government that has had anything to do with it. There is an inquiry that’s on let that come up with it,” Doraiswami said while speaking to the media after the conclusion of the Indo-Pacific Conference in London on Thursday.

Moreover, when asked about whether Canada’s accusation is wrong or not, Doraiswami said, “It’s an accusation. It’s not anything more than that as far as anything’s concerned.”

“And anyway, this is not about India-Canada relations. This is about the Indo-Pacific,” he said, as they concluded the Indo-Pacific Conference in London.

Regarding the reliability of partnerships between India and Australia, he said, “This is something that everybody has to assess their own history.”

“I think partnerships are based on interests and values, and we share them with all our partners,” Doraiswami said.

Moreover, Australian High Commissioner to the UK, Stephen Smith, highlighted that, as far as India is concerned, Australia shares a long-standing history, tradition, and approach with India. “So we’re both democratic countries, we both respect the rule of law, we both respect laws of contract, and we work carefully and closely with each other,” Smith said.

Further, agreeing with Doraiswami, the Australian High Commissioner to the UK said, “There’s an investigation of that matter underway. We should allow the results of the investigation to be brought forward.”

Earlier in June, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged the involvement of “agents of the Indian government” in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
However, India rejected the allegations as “absurd and motivated” and expelled a Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move over Canada’s decision.

The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said that Canada has consistently given space to anti-India extremists.

The MEA spokesperson, while responding to a query, said that India expects the Canadian government to live up to its obligations under the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.

He said that India has seen interference from Canadian diplomats in India’s internal affairs and called it “unacceptable.”

“In so far as Canada is concerned, we have said that they have consistently given space to anti-India extremists and that is the heart of the issue. Our diplomatic representatives in Canada have borne the brunt of this. So, we expect the Government of Canada to live up to its obligations under the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations. We have also seen interference by Canadian diplomats in our internal affairs and that is unacceptable” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on the Indian government to cooperate with Canada in the investigation of the killing of India-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, CBC News reported.

Earlier this week, the Indian High Commissioner in Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, said that India is only asking for “specific and relevant” evidence in the killing of India-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar so that it can help Canada in reaching the conclusion of the investigation.

In an interview with Canadian journalist Tahir Gora at TAG TV Toronto, he said, “India is only asking for specific and relevant information so that we can help you. We can help the Canadian investigators to reach their conclusion, to the extent that it will be viable for them to go for legal action…I will urge my Canadian friends and colleagues. I can assure them that we will certainly look into them.”