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Deeply concerned about allegations raised by PM Trudeau against India: Blinken
Updated On: 23 September, 2023 07:24 AM IST | New York | PTI
India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020. India angrily rejected the allegations as "absurd" and "motivated", and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa`s expulsion of an Indian official over the case
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Antony Blinken. Pic/AFP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said America is deeply concerned about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau`s allegations of India`s potential involvement in the killing of a Sikh separatist and that it would be important that New Delhi works with Ottawa on this investigation. Speaking at a press conference here on Friday, Blinken said the US has engaged directly with the Indian government on the issue and the most productive thing would be the completion of this investigation. Tensions flared between India and Canada early this week following Trudeau`s explosive allegations of the "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia on June 18.
India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020. India angrily rejected the allegations as "absurd" and "motivated", and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa`s expulsion of an Indian official over the case. Responding to a question on Trudeau`s allegations against India, Blinken said, "Let me say a few things about this. First, we are deeply concerned about the allegations that Prime Minister Trudeau has raised." "We have been consulting throughout very closely with our Canadian colleagues, and not just consulting, coordinating with them on this issue. And from our perspective, it is critical that the Canadian investigation proceeds and it would be important that India work with the Canadians on this investigation. "We want to see accountability and it`s important that the investigation runs its course and leads to that result," he said. Blinken was also asked about reports that President Joe Biden "personally" raised the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "I`m not going to characterise or otherwise speak to diplomatic conversations that we have.
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