India has urged Canada to release evidence to back up its allegation in connection with the killing of pro-Khalistan militant leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
India and Canada saw a massive diplomatic row over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's accusation of possible Indian government involvement in the murder of Nijjar earlier this year.
India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.
Indian high commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma in his interview to CTV News Channel said India was ready to look into anything “specific and relevant” evidence to back Justin Trudeau's allegations.
On being asked why “why was India not cooperating” in the investigation after Trudeau's allegations, Verma said, “There are two points. One is that even before the investigation being completed, India was convicted. Is that a rule of law?”
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Verma was asked “how was India convicted” as it was an allegation raised by the Canadian government.
“Because India was asked to cooperate and if you look at the typical terminology, when someone asks to cooperate, which means you are already convicted and you better cooperate. We took it in very different interpretations, but we always said that if there is anything specific and relevant and communicated to us, we will look into it,” the high commissioner replied.
Earlier this month, Verma had reiterated that neither Canada nor its allies have shown concrete evidence related to Nijjar's killing. "There is no specific or relevant information provided in this case for us to assist them in the investigation," Verma had said.
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On September 18, Trudeau told the House of Commons that there were “credible allegations” of a potential link between Indian agents and the killing of Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18.
In the immediate aftermath, both countries expelled each other's diplomats. India also suspended its visa services to Canada initially, but relaxed them for a select group a month later. On Wednesday, India resumed issuing electronic visas for Canadian nationals.
Verma, denying India's role in the case, suggested that the probe into the killing by the Canadian Police had been “damaged” by Trudeau's public statements.
“Where is the evidence? Where is the conclusion of the investigation? I would go a step further and say now the investigation has already been tainted. A direction has come from someone at a high level to say India or Indian agents are behind it,” Verma was quoted as saying.
