The United States claimed on Tuesday that India is not cooperating with Canada in its investigation into the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year. This statement was made by Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the US State Department, as tensions between India and Canada continue to escalate.

India has strongly denied Canada's claim that it provided reliable evidence of Indian involvement in the Nijjar case. India has labelled the accusations "preposterous" and accused Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of using Canada's sizable Sikh community as a political pawn. 

"When it comes to the Canadian matter, we have made clear that the allegations are extremely serious, and they need to be taken seriously. We wanted to see the government of India cooperate with Canada in its investigation. Obviously, they have not chosen that path," said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs said, "Prime Minister Trudeau’s hostility to India has long been in evidence. In 2018, his visit to India, which was aimed at currying favour with a vote bank, rebounded to his discomfort. His Cabinet has included individuals who have openly associated with an extremist and separatist agenda regarding India. His naked interference in Indian internal politics in December 2020 showed how far he was willing to go in this regard.”

The "alleged criminal conduct outlined publicly by Canadian law enforcement authorities, if proven, would be very concerning," stated Winston Peters, the Foreign Affairs Minister of New Zealand. "At the same time, we do not comment on the details of ongoing criminal investigations, in New Zealand or abroad, other than to note that it is important that the rule of law and judicial processes be respected and followed," he said.

India, meanwhile, claims that Canada harbours people connected to organised crime. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar criticised Canada's immigration policy in May of this year following the arrest of three Indian nationals suspected of being involved in the Nijjar killing.

"A number of people with organised crime links from Punjab have been made welcome in Canada. We have been telling Canada that look, these are wanted criminals from India, you have given them visas. But the Canadian government has not done anything," Jaishankar remarked.

Prime Minister Trudeau has accused India of involvement in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed in June last year. In response to the accusations, India expelled six of its diplomats from New Delhi and recalled its High Commissioner from Canada.