In response to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's accusations that India was involved in the death of a Sikh separatist in Surrey, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced his country's "deep concern."
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the United Nations General assembly meeting in New York, Blinken said, "We are deeply concerned about the allegations that Prime Minister Trudeau has raised. We've been consulting throughout very closely with our Canadian colleagues, not just consulting, coordinating on this issue. And from our perspective, it is critical that the Canadian investigation proceeds.”
The Secretary urged India to cooperate with the Canadian investigation and ensure it proceeds smoothly. “We want to see accountability. And it's important that the investigation run its course and lead to that result," he added stating the investigation’s importance to the international rule of law.
Commenting on matters of “transnational repression," Blinken further said, “I think it's important, more broadly, for the international system that any country that might consider engaging in such acts not do so.”
His remarks come as the Canadian government sources have reportedly claimed that the evidence of Nijjar’s murder is based on Canadian intelligenceas well as inputs from an ally the Five Eye intelligence network, which the United States is a member of.
Meanwhile, New Delhi has demanded a reduction in Canadian diplomatic presence in India and has suspended visa services in Canada as a strong reaction to the "absurd" allegations.
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