INDIA: Decision To Pause Trade Talks Linked To Killing Of Sikh Leader

Wires reporting comments from a Canadian government source stating that, "a decision to pause talks on trade deal with India and postpone trade mission were directly linked to concerns over killing," of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June.

• A govt source says, "Canada worked 'very closely' with US on evidence of India's possible involvement in murder of [Nijjar]," and will share evidence it has on killing "in due course."
• The alleged extrajudicial killing has prompted an unprecedented fissure in Canada-India relations with the two countries expelling diplomats today.
• Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said today: “The government of India needs to take this matter with the utmost seriousness. We are doing that. We are not looking to provoke or escalate. We are simply laying out the facts as we understand them.”
• The Washington Post reports: "Canadian officials asked its closest allies, including the United States, to publicly condemn the murder but were rebuffed, underscoring the diplomatic balancing act facing the Biden administration and its allies as they work to court an Asian power seen as a crucial counterweight to China."