New Delhi [India], August 27 (ANI): Former senior diplomat Vidya Bhushan Soni has welcomed the recent positive developments in India-Canada ties, saying the alleged claim by gangster Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar could help open "more avenues" for relations between the two countries.
Speaking to ANI, Soni said the deterioration in India-Canada ties under former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was linked to his alleged efforts to appease the Khalistani lobby for political support.
"So far as Canada is concerned, the problem was with the previous Prime Minister of Canada. He was for political reasons or whatever reason we do not know, but he was playing the game of the Khalistani lobby," Soni said.
"There is a very active Khalistani lobby in operation, and so he felt that by pleasing them he'll gain their support, and that's why he went whole hog. He couldn't care about India's sensitivities. As a result, there was a freeze in our relationship," he added.
Soni said the change in leadership in Canada has brought a shift in the bilateral relationship, with Prime Minister Mark Carney taking steps to address India's concerns.
"But the moment - and he was supposed to lose because his local support on the ground among the average Canadian was going away. Not because of just the Khalistani angle but even otherwise. He was not trying to prove to be a popular person. His policies were not something which were in the interest of the average Canadian. And he was there for too long," he said.
"So that's why he had to go, and immediately thereafter the new Prime Minister has taken great initiatives to address our issues. He took some actions which were duly noted by us, which were positive steps, and that's why immediately after the new Prime Minister took over, there has been significant progress," Soni said.
Referring to Goldy Brar's claim, the former diplomat said it was significant in the context of the long-standing tensions between New Delhi and Ottawa over Nijjar's killing.
"The arrest and the admission by Goldy Brar is quite telling. I mean, all the time the allegation was that India was the one which planned everything was done by India, Indian agents," he said.
"This is the time for them, the parties or the factions which were supporting the previous government. And they should realise that truth is coming out. Don't jump at what you are told. Exercise your own mind, and I think this will be a good pointer for another improvement stage between our countries," Soni added.
However, Soni said several issues between India and Canada still need to be addressed, including restrictions affecting Indian students.
"Though there are still certain issues which have to be addressed, particularly about the restrictions on the students, there are a lot of other things which they are doing. But they are open. They have not taken a closed mind, and so we feel that this should open more avenues for our relationship between our two countries," he said.
Relations between India and Canada deteriorated sharply after then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged in September 2023 that Canadian agencies were pursuing "credible allegations" of a potential link between Indian government agents and the killing of Nijjar in British Columbia. India rejected the allegations as baseless and politically motivated.
Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by India, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023.
The remarks of the former senior diplomat come three years after NIA-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed in Canada; Gangster Goldy Brar has claimed that he and his gang had a hand in the killing.
The Audio files, which were reportedly part of the anti-gang Operation Hardball, were released on social media by Canada-based commentator and journalist Ruchi Wali. In the purported audio tape, Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar, who has links to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, allegedly claims responsibility for the killing of Nijjar.
According to the purported audio tapes, Brar is heard claiming, "I am not a coward like Lawrence Bishnoi (Balkaran Brar). I own up to my role (of getting Nijjar killed). He (Bishnoi) did convince me to take this step (Killing of Nijjar)."
The authenticity of the purported audio recordings and the claims made in them have not been independently verified. (ANI)
"Truth is coming out": Former diplomat Soni says Goldy Brar's purported claim could boost India-Canada ties
