No Significant Talks Between PM Modi and Trudeau; India Calls for Strong Action Against Anti-India Activities in Canada
New Delhi [India], October 11 : There was no substantive discussion between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Laos, sources said on Friday. New Delhi continues to expect that anti-India activities will not be allowed to take place on Canadian soil and that firm action will be taken against those advocating violence, extremism, and terrorism.
Sources also indicated that while India values its relationship with Canada, repairing these ties hinges on the Canadian government’s strict action against those who engage in anti-India activities.
Trudeau had earlier mentioned having a “brief exchange” with Prime Minister Modi in Laos. “I emphasized that there is work that we need to do,” Trudeau told reporters at a press conference in Laos. “I won’t go into details about what we talked about, but what I’ve said many times is that the safety of Canadians and upholding the rule of law is one of the fundamental responsibilities of any Canadian government, and that’s what I’ll stay focused on,” Canada-based CBC News quoted him as saying.
Referring to Trudeau’s remarks, sources noted the lack of firm action against anti-India elements in Canada and emphasized the need for verifiable measures. “There was no substantive discussion between PM and Prime Minister Trudeau in Vientiane. India continues to expect that anti-India Khalistani activities will not be allowed to take place on Canadian soil and that firm action, which is lacking thus far, will be taken against those advocating violence, extremism, and terrorism against India from Canadian territory,” a source said.
“India attaches importance to relations with Canada but these cannot be repaired unless the Canadian Government takes strict and verifiable action against those who actively pursue anti-India activities and have conspired to promote hate, disinformation, communal disharmony, and violence in India as well as Canada,” the source added.
PM Modi participated in the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit during his two-day visit to Laos. He also held bilateral meetings.
This is the second time this year that PM Modi and Trudeau were present at the same summit. They also attended the G7 meeting in Apulia, Italy, in June this year.
The ties between India and Canada soured after Trudeau alleged in the Canadian Parliament last year that there were “credible allegations” of India’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India has denied all the allegations, calling them “absurd” and “motivated,” and has accused Canada of giving space to extremist and anti-India elements in their country.
Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by India’s National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot and killed outside a Gurdwara in Surrey in June last year.