The murder of Nijjar, according to Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, was orchestrated by the Indian government. In response to Ottawa’s expulsion of an Indian official, India, however, rejected the accusations as “absurd” and “motivated” and removed a senior Canadian ambassador.

India has also requested that Canada take stronger action against terrorists and anti-Indian groups operating from its territory and has banned Canadian visa services.

In contrast, Canada updated its travel advice for its residents in India, advising them to “stay vigilant and exercise caution” in light of recent events, since there have been calls for protests and some “negative sentiment” toward Canada on social media.

On June 18, Nijjar, the leader of the outlawed Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), was assassinated in Surrey, British Columbia. In 2020, India deemed Nijjar to be a terrorist.

Despite “credible allegations” that the Indian government was involved in the murder of Khalistan rebel Hardeep Singh, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that Canada is still dedicated to forging better ties with India.

Trudeau added that it is “extremely important” for Canada and its allies to maintain constructive and serious engagement with India in light of the country’s growing prominence on the international scene, according to the Canadian publication National Post.

According to him, India is a significant geopolitical player and a rising economic force. “We’re quite serious about forging closer ties with India, as we recently stated in our Indo-Pacific policy”, he told reporters.

Trudeau was quoted by National Post as saying, “At the same time, obviously, as a country that upholds the rule of law, we need to emphasize that India needs to work with Canada to ensure that we get the full facts of this matter.”