The United Kingdom government is treading carefully when it comes to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s explosive allegation that the Indian government was involved in the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
According to a spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Britain will still move forward with trade talks with India despite the accusation.
“Work on the trade negotiations will continue as before,” the spokesperson said Tuesday.
“When we have concerns about countries we are negotiating trade deals with, we will raise them directly with the government concerned. But with regards to the current negotiations with India, these are negotiations about a trade deal, and we’re not looking to conflate them with other issues.”
Canada has since expelled a senior diplomat from the country after the Liberal government alleged Pavan Kumar Rai was a point man in the alleged assassination. The Indian government responded by expelling a Canadian diplomat.
Labour MP Khalid Mahmood raised a point of order in the UK House of Commons earlier in the afternoon, calling on the UK government to issue a statement on the matter.
“I urge our government to warn their Indian counterparts that such state terrorism will not be allowed to impact government-to-government relations. As the House is due to rise, may I ask the government, through your offices, to make an urgent statement on this important issue, to assure Sikhs in the UK of the government’s intentions?” said Mahmood.
In response, the UK’s deputy speaker of the House of Commons responded by saying that there was “no indication” any further official statements will be made by the UK government.
“I have received no indication that any minister intends to make a statement—or statements further to those we have just had today—but if that changes, Members will be notified in the usual way,” said the deputy speaker.
Yesterday, Trudeau declared in the Canadian House of Commons that agents acting on behalf of the Indian government were behind Nijjar’s death after he was shot in Surrey, BC earlier this year.
“Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” claimed Trudeau.
