Vientiane (Laos)/Ottawa (Canada): Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Laos, almost a year after his Canadian counterpart accused India of being involved in the death of a Canadian separatist from Khalistan.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC News) said Trudeau described the meeting as a “brief exchange” when the two leaders met at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit. in Vientiane, Laos, which was held on Thursday. “I emphasized that there is work that we need to do,” Trudeau said, according to CBC News.

“I won’t go into detail about what we talked about, but what I have said repeatedly is that the safety of Canadians and respect for the rule of law is one of the fundamental responsibilities of any Canadian government and that is what I will remain focused on,” Trudeau said at a press conference in Vientiane.

“No substantive discussion”

However, Indian television sources claimed that there were “no substantive discussions between the two leaders in Vientiane”. “India continues to expect that the anti-Indian activities of the Khalistani will not be allowed on Canadian soil and that firm action, which has been lacking so far, will be taken against those who advocate violence, extremism and terrorism against India from Canadian territory. » said sources.

“The growing connection between these forces and organized crime, drug syndicates and human trafficking should also be of concern to Canada. India values ​​relations with Canada, but these cannot be repaired unless the Canadian government takes strict and verifiable action against those who pursue anti-India activities and have conspired to promote hatred, misinformation, communal discord and violence in India as well as Canada,” he added.

India-Canada ties

Ties between India and Canada became strained last year after Trudeau’s September allegations that Indian agents were “potentially” involved in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a gurdwara in the city of Surrey on July 18. June 2023.

India, which designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020, strongly rejected Trudeau’s allegations, calling them “absurd” and “motivated.”

Also read: Canadian government further cuts permits for international students, blames ‘bad actors’