According to a US State Department official, the Biden Administration has repeatedly communicated with the Indian government, encouraging their collaboration with Canada in the investigations related to the Khalistani separatist's demise.
The relationship between India and Canada faced significant tension after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made allegations of possible involvement of Indian agents in the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June.
In response, India dismissed these allegations as both "absurd" and "motivated," leading to the expulsion of a senior Canadian diplomat in a retaliatory action, mirroring Ottawa's expulsion of an Indian official in connection with the case.
The matter of Nijjar's death in Canada was brought up by Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his recent meeting with India's External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar.
"As Secretary Blinken emphasized during that meeting, and I'd like to emphasize now, we continue to maintain close coordination with our Canadian counterparts regarding this issue," stated State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller during his daily press briefing on Monday, responding to a question posed by a Pakistani journalist.
"We have been in contact with the Indian government on multiple occasions, urging their cooperation with Canada's investigation. The Secretary had the opportunity to reiterate this message during his meeting with the Foreign Minister last Friday," he added.
When queried about whether India has agreed to collaborate with Canada, Miller indicated that this is a matter for New Delhi to address.
"I will defer to the Indian government to express their position, while I represent the United States government, and we emphasize the importance of cooperation," he remarked.
Last week, Jaishankar, in discussions with journalists, highlighted the need for dialogue between the governments of India and Canada to find a resolution to their differences on this matter. He emphasized that the broader concern of "permissiveness" must also be acknowledged and tackled.
"The situation is as follows: Canadians have leveled certain accusations. We have clarified to them that these allegations do not reflect the official policy of the Indian government. However, we remain open to reviewing any specific and pertinent information they are willing to share with us. In that regard, this is the current status of the matter," expressed Jaishankar.
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