UK joins US and Australia in backing Canada over India assassination row

The UK has joined the US , Australia, and New Zealand in backing Canada in the “serious developments” in investigations into the role of Indian government agents in the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader on Canadian soil.

The Foreign Office said it “has full confidence in Canada’s judicial system” and urged India to cooperate in the investigations and end the diplomatic offensive between the two countries.

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau on Monday claimed that India’s high commissioner and other top diplomats were directly involved in the 2023 assassination of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar .

The allegations sparked a diplomatic fallout between India and Canada with Ottawa expelling six Indian diplomats and New Delhi following suit in a tit-for-tat response, pushing bilateral ties to a near-breaking point.

India, which has objected to the presence of separatist Sikh elements in Canada, denied the allegations and reacted furiously.

"We are in contact with our Canadian partners about the serious developments outlined in the independent investigations in Canada. The UK has full confidence in Canada’s judicial system," the British government said in a statement.

"The government of India’s cooperation with Canada‘s legal process is the right next step."

London was the last member of the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing alliance to put its weight behind Canada. The alliance, whose primary goal is to enhance security of its member countries by sharing intelligence, is made up of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US.

The US State Department appeared critical of India’s stance on the allegations and said New Delhi has not taken the allegations seriously.

“We have made clear that the allegations are extremely serious and they need to be taken seriously, and we wanted to see the government of India cooperate with Canada in its investigation. Obviously, they have not chosen that path,” spokesperson Mathew Miller said in a regular briefing on Tuesday.

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) also opened an investigation last spring against an Indian government official for orchestrating a plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader in New York.

US authorities said an Indian government official had directed the plot in the attempted murder of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is a US and Canadian citizen. Another Indian, Nikhil Gupta, has been accused by US federal prosecutors of plotting with the government official to kill Mr Pannun, a US resident who advocated for a sovereign Sikh state in northern India.

On Monday, the US State Department said an Indian enquiry panel was arriving in Washington to take part in the investigation.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement that Canberra has made its “concerns” clear to Indian counterparts.

“Australia respects Canada’s judicial process,” it said. “Our position of principle is that the sovereignty of all countries should be respected and that the rule of law should be respected.”

New Zealand’s foreign minister Winston Peters Wellington has been briefed by Ottawa about the “investigations into violence and threats of violence against members of its South Asian community.”

He said the allegations if proven would be “very concerning” but said they would not comment on the details of ongoing criminal investigations, in New Zealand or abroad.

“New Zealand has a diverse population, with large communities with cultural connections to a broad range of countries from across Asia, the Pacific and Europe. We expect all such communities to act, and be treated, lawfully and with respect,” he said.

The relationship between India and Canada has hit rock bottom in recent years. Canada has accused Indian government proxies of targeting its Sikh citizens while India has repeatedly raised the issue of Ottawa giving space to the Khalistan movement that demands a separate homeland for Sikhs within India.

The concerns have exacerbated where some 2 per cent of the population is Sikh.