UK Supports India’s Cooperation with Canada’s Legal Proceedings Amid Diplomatic Tensions

Department of Security and Military Strategic Research and Studies 16-10-2024

As diplomatic tensions escalate, the UK has aligned with its Five Eyes intelligence allies, asserting that India’s collaboration with Canada’s legal process is a “crucial next step.” This comes in light of Canadian police revealing they possess credible evidence linking Indian officials, including the high commissioner to Canada, to the June 2023 murder of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

India has categorically denied Canada’s allegations and responded by expelling six senior Canadian diplomats, including the acting high commissioner.

The UK Foreign Office released a statement emphasizing, “We are in touch with our Canadian counterparts regarding the serious developments revealed by independent investigations in Canada. The UK has full faith in Canada’s judicial system. India’s engagement with this legal process is the appropriate next move.”

This statement follows a discussion between UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, where they addressed recent allegations under investigation in Canada and underscored the significance of upholding the rule of law.

Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly has been actively seeking diplomatic backing from Five Eyes allies—the US, New Zealand, the UK, and Australia—as she navigates the fallout from these allegations. The UK is attempting to balance its strong trade relations with India while extending support to Canada.

New Zealand’s Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, expressed a preference for allowing judicial processes to unfold without directly referencing India. He noted, “The alleged criminal conduct described by Canadian law enforcement, if substantiated, would be quite alarming,” while highlighting ongoing investigations into violence against the South Asian community in Canada.

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations, urging India to take them seriously and cooperate with the Canadian investigation, noting, “They have opted for a different route.”

Australia’s Foreign Affairs Department reiterated its concerns regarding the allegations and reaffirmed respect for Canada’s judicial process. However, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese avoided questions related to the diplomatic dispute during a recent press briefing.

The expanding scope of these allegations has made it challenging for the Five Eyes partners to overlook the emerging evidence. Canadian police now assert that Indian diplomats have collaborated with criminal organizations to execute a broader scheme of extortion, intimidation, and violence against local South Asian community members, leading to incidents of homicide, home invasions, and arson.

In the US, an Indian delegation recently visited to discuss a purported murder-for-hire plot revealed by officials last November, which involved an alleged assassination attempt on Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

Miller clarified that the Indian inquiry committee’s visit, announced on Monday, was coincidentally timed and unrelated to the allegations made by Canadian authorities that same day.

The UK is also engaged in its own diplomatic dispute with India regarding the prolonged detention of Jagtar Singh Johal, a British citizen held in India since 2017, who faces the death penalty. In May 2022, a UN Working Group deemed Johal’s detention arbitrary and lacking legal foundation.

Recently, the UK Foreign Office criticized India for attempting to expel 41 Canadian diplomats without prior declaration as persona non grata, calling it a violation of Article 9 of the Vienna Convention.