OTTAWA, India’s outgoing envoy to Canada, expelled over Ottawa’s accusations of involvement in the assassination of a Sikh leader, maintained his innocence in a recent interview, accusing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of undermining diplomatic ties, though predicting that trade relations would remain largely unaffected.
Both nations expelled six diplomats on Monday in a retaliatory move, following Ottawa’s claims that New Delhi was targeting Indian dissidents residing in Canada. Trudeau specifically linked the expelled diplomats to the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia last year.
Sanjay Kumar Verma, India’s ambassador to Canada, asserted in an interview with CTV that Trudeau’s actions were based on intelligence, not concrete evidence. “If you wish to destroy a relationship based on intelligence alone, that’s your prerogative. And that’s exactly what he did,” Verma stated in the interview, which aired on Sunday.
When questioned about any involvement in Nijjar’s assassination, Verma responded, “None whatsoever. No evidence has been provided. This is purely politically driven.”
Canada, which hosts the largest Sikh population outside Punjab, has seen demonstrations advocating for a separate homeland, much to New Delhi’s frustration.
Despite the diplomatic fallout, Verma noted that the incident was unlikely to affect trade or cultural exchanges between the two countries, whose bilateral trade totaled $8.4 billion at the end of the last fiscal year. Additionally, Indian students constitute the largest group of international students in Canada.
“While emotions on both sides may affect certain agreements, the broader outlook suggests minimal impact on non-political bilateral relations,” Verma concluded.
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