New Delhi: US, the UK and Australia—all Five Eyes allies of Canada—have all come out in support of Ottawa in the ongoing diplomatic row with New Delhi over its allegations of Indian officials being linked to violent crimes in the North American country.
The US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller backed Ottawa and said that it “wanted” India to cooperate with Canadian authorities in the ongoing investigation but that New Delhi “has not chosen that path”.
“But as we’ve said before, they are serious allegations and we have wanted to see India take them seriously and cooperate with Canada’s investigation. They have chosen an alternate path,” said Miller during a press briefing Tuesday.
The US is India’s partner in the Quad along with Australia and Japan. The US Justice Department is conducting its own investigation into a foiled plot to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun—the Indian designated terrorist—allegedly concocted by an Indian government official.
While New Delhi has rejected the allegations made by Ottawa regarding the links between its officials and the killing of Nijjar, it has cooperated with the US over investigations into the foiled plot to kill Pannun.
US authorities in 2023 had foiled a plot to assassinate Pannun, the founder of the Indian banned organisation Sikhs for Justice. An Indian citizen, Nikhil Gupta, was detained in connection with the case in Prague in 2023 and eventually extradited to the US earlier this year. He is awaiting trial by the American courts.
In November 2023, the US Justice Department made public an indictment, which indicated that an Indian official—CC1—was involved in the failed plot. India set up an inquiry committee to look into the allegations. The Committee met with senior US officials Tuesday as a part of its investigations into the evidence shared by Washington D.C.
“The meeting was here as a follow-up on conversations we have been having with the Government of India at the seniormost levels over the past several months. They have told us that they are taking the allegations seriously, that the activities contained in the DOJ indictment do not represent government policy,” said Miller Tuesday.
India-Canada row escalation
The diplomatic row between Ottawa and New Delhi escalated Monday after India rejected Canada’s request for waiving diplomatic immunity of its High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, who was tagged as a “person of interest” by Canadian authorities, in the investigations into the killing of Indian designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Late Monday evening, New Delhi withdrew Verma and five other diplomats from Canada and later expelled six Canadian diplomats, including its acting high commissioner and deputy high commissioner.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a press conference that very day and reiterated that Canadian Police have “evidence” of links between Indian government officials and the killing of Nijjar. His statement came after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) held a press conference highlighting links between Indian officials and the organised crime network led by Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
Bishnoi has been in prison in India since 2014, and his gang was most recently linked with the killing of Baba Siddique—a senior Maharashtrian politician.
India Tuesday rejected Trudeau’s allegations, with people familiar with the matter telling ThePrint that it was “simply not true” that Canada had provided “credible evidence” to New Delhi of ties between Indian diplomats and violent crime networks in the North American country.
“From the very beginning, the Canadian approach has been to make vague accusations and put the burden of denial on India,” added government sources.
UK & Australia agree to ‘importance of rule of law’
The UK Tuesday published a readout of the call between Trudeau and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which occurred late Monday evening.
“They discussed recent developments regarding allegations under investigation in Canada. Both agreed on the importance of the rule of law. They agreed to remain in close contact pending the conclusions of the investigation,” said 10 Downing Street in a statement Tuesday.
The UK, along with New Zealand, have now come out with statements regarding the diplomatic row over Canada’s allegations. On Tuesday, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of New Zealand Winston Peters came out in support of Ottawa with a caveat—“if proven”, the allegations raised by Canada would be “very concerning”.
A spokesperson from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told ThePrint, “Australia has made clear our concerns about the allegations under investigation in Canada, and our respect for Canada’s judicial process.Our position of principle is that the sovereignty of all countries should be respected and that the rule of law should be respected.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, however, refused to answer any questions on the India-Canada diplomatic row during a press briefing Tuesday. Canberra is also a member of Five Eyes and the Quad.
“I speak with the Prime Minister of Canada all the time. And what I do in my relationships with international leaders is I have proper discussions with them and that’s how we get things done. And that’s why, one of the reasons why my Government has been so effective in international diplomacy,” said Albanese during the press conference.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
Also read: Why has India reacted differently to Canada & US? Trudeau did politics, America hard diplomacy
While responding to Canada, the deep solidarity of Five eyes alliance partners ought to have been taken into account. Recall that both President Biden and PM Trudeau had raised this issue during the G 20 summit. It is based on shared intelligence, and it has unfolded in both Canada and America. May good diplomacy still be summoned in the cause of resolving the issue gracefully.
If is quite easy to understand that Canada has the blessings of the US in this fight with India. Without prior approval from the US, the Canadians would not have done what they did. So the US support for Canada is obvious.
However, the UK, Australia and NZ may not be so interested in taking sides in this matter. They have other serious considerations vis-a-vis India.
India should should sue Canada at the international court of justice for genocide against indigenous people of Canada.