Focus on Nijjar: Canadian minister to India on if trade talks resume

A day after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India is not ruling out an investigation into Canada's allegations about the involvement of the Indian government's agents in the killing of terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canada has said it is focused on getting India to cooperate in the investigation.

Speaking to the media on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in San Francisco, Canada's Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development Mary Ng said, "Our focus is, of course, on this investigation, that work has to take place."

"Right now, the focus for Canada is to let the work of the investigation proceed. You've heard me and the government talk about how important it is that investigation happens given that we had a Canadian killed on Canadian soil. So, we'll let that happen," Ng said on being asked whether trade talks could resume.

"Our focus is, of course, on this investigation, that work has to take place," she said.

The Canadian minister also spoke on businesses and investments in India and said, "While Canadians continue to do business in India, my job as the trade minister is to ensure that support and tools are available to Canadian businesses and investors in India."

On Wednesday, EAM Jaishankar, who was on a five-day official visit to the UK, asked Canada to share the evidence on its allegations about the killing of terrorist Nijjar.

The ties between India and Canada came under severe strain following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in September of a "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.

India rejected Trudeau's allegations as "absurd" and "motivated".