The US has expressed concern over allegations by the Canadian government that implicate India’s Home Minister Amit Shah in a series of plots to intimidate or kill Sikh separatists. US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed Wednesday that Washington would continue to engage with Canada on these serious allegations.
This is in response to the comments of Canadian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs David Morrison, who publicly accused Shah of signing off on a campaign against Sikh separatists in Canada. That’s believed to be the first instance of a Canadian official linking the Indian home minister directly to such actions abroad, and diplomatic relations between India and Canada are at an all-time low.
Tensions between the two countries have increased over the last year, particularly after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau informed Parliament last September 2023 that intelligence agencies were investigating credible allegations linking agents of the Indian government to the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Najjar was a high-profile Khalistan-an independent homeland for Sikhs-leader and headed Khalistan Tiger Force, which was classified as a terrorist organization by India.
For its part, New Delhi labelled Ottawa’s allegations “absurd and motivated” and a diversion from the fact that Canada provides asylum to people undermining Indian sovereignty. India has also asked more than 40 Canadian diplomatic staff to leave Indian territory.
The US also accused, sometime back, an Indian official of involvement in the conspiracy to assassinate another Sikh separatist, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. According to the US Justice Department, that plot, which wasn’t successful, appeared to be part of a larger scheme targeting people in California and Canada.
