Trudeau’s ‘Strong Ties’ Assurance Cuts No Ice as Khalistani Groups Plan Fresh Anti-India Rally in Canada | Exclusive

In a fresh blow to India-Canada ties that have been on the back foot since the killing of Khalistani sympathiser Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the extremist groups are planning yet another rally in Canada on Sunday at the Surrey Gurdwara.

The Khalistan supporters are planning to bring Sikh radicals from all over Canada, sources told CNN-News18. The invites that have been circulated say “leading community voices to discuss the rising threat of Indian violence in Canada and how to formulate an effective Panthic response”.

According to sources, this is a radical grouping where people will come and speak against India and formulate plans on how to handle the situation in future.

The development comes amid Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s assertion of the need for strong ties with India. The climb-down can be attributed to the meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Tony Blinken in which Canada’s allegations with regards to Nijjar’s killing were discussed. Post the meeting, Jaishankar said the two delegations came out “better informed”.

This was followed by a statement by Trudeau wherein he said Canada is “very serious” about building closer ties with India as it is a growing economic power and important geopolitical player, but wants New Delhi to work with Ottawa to ensure that they get the full facts about the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Speaking at a press conference in Montreal, Trudeau said that he thinks it is extremely important that Canada and its allies continue to engage constructively and seriously with India given its growing importance on the world stage.

Tensions have been on the boil between India and Canada following Trudeau’s explosive allegations of the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia. 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.