Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday parried a tough media query on Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder after meeting with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, saying he needed to be “careful about further commentary”.
Carney met PM ways in Canada on the sidelines of the G-7 Summit, after months of India-Canada acrimony over the Justin Trudeau government’s continued tirade against New Delhi over the Khalistani terrorist’s murder in 2023.
India maintains that it had no role in the terrorist’s murder and that Canada never provided actionable evidence.
The Modi-Carney meeting has paved the way for the improvement of diplomatic ties between the two nations, which had hit rock bottom last year when New Delhi recalled its senior diplomats over being accused of having been involved in the murder.
Also read: 12 meetings in 10 hours: PM Modi’s packed day at G7 Summit in Canada
Responding to the question as to whether he spoke to PM Modi about Nijjar’s killing in Canada, Carney appeared to exercise caution, unlike his predecessor, Justin Trudeau.
“We discussed the importance of having the law enforcement dialogue, not just dialogue, cooperation directly, the importance of addressing transnational repression…There is a judicial process that’s underway, and I need to be careful about further commentary,” he told the reporter.
New Delhi and Ottawa have agreed to restore high commissioners to each other’s capitals. The breakthrough was achieved after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Canada to attend the G7 Summit, held a “positive and constructive meeting” with his Canadian counterpart.
“The meeting discussed the importance of the India-Canada relationship, which is based on shared values, democracy and the rule of law, people-to-people contact and many other commonalities,” Foreign secretary Vikram Misri said in a video statement.
The official assured that other diplomatic steps will follow to restore India-Canada diplomatic relations.
