INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
WASHINGTON: Having dropped a bombshell by alleging the Indian government was behind the assassination of a Khalistani extremist in Canada,
the country's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday said Ottawa was not looking to escalate matters with India even as Washington
cautiously backed his demand for an investigation into the killing
"We are not looking to provoke or escalate
We are simply laying out the facts as we understand them," Trudeau told reporters Tuesday before a cabinet meeting, adding, "The government
of India needs to take this matter with the utmost seriousness
We are doing that."India-Canada row: Live updates"We will remain calm
We're going to remain grounded in our democratic principles and values, we're going to follow the evidence," Trudeau said, while explaining
that "Canadians have a right to know and need to know when things are going on like this....and that's why we made the decision (to go
public with the allegations)."Trudeau's explosive allegations has stunned the diplomatic community across the world considering the sketchy
He told the Canadian Parliament on Monday that Canadian intelligence agencies were "actively pursuing credible allegations of potential
links between agents of the government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen."The Canadian Prime Minister was trolled relentlessly
on social media for jumping the gun, purportedly with an eye on domestic political support, despite having failed to convince allies of the
He reportedly tried to persuade the "Five Eyes" intelligence alliance (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United
States) to issue a joint statement condemning Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing as contravening international norms, but
his counterparts advised raising the issue privately instead, which Ottawa now says he did
After a sharp rebuke from New Delhi for allowing Khalistani extremists in Canada to threaten Indian officials and diplomatic property,
Trudeau opted to go public, setting off a diplomatic firestorm that has now scorched bilateral relations and singed the broader partnership
the US is trying to forge with New Delhi in an effort to contain China
concerned by these allegations and notes ongoing investigations into this matter" and "We are closely engaged with partners on developments
an independent public inquiry into allegations of attempted foreign interference in Canadian affairs by China and Russia, among others
India scheduled for the second week in October
No explanation was offered for the cancellation
India and Canada have modest bilateral trade of about $ 8 billion annually
In recent years, Canada has become the second most favored destination for Indian students after the United States
According to the Canadian Bureau of International Education, in 2022, their number rose 47% to nearly 320,000, accounting for about 40% of
While they bring in revenue that helps Canada provide a subsidised education to domestic students, India, particularly Punjab, also benefits
from remittances from the large Indian diaspora in Canada
WatchIn Tit-For-Tat Move, India expels "Senior Canadian Diplomat, asks him to leave within 5 days
